How can you identify patent infringement in your R&D process using data analysis?
Patent infringement is a serious risk for any R&D project, especially in highly competitive and innovative fields. If you infringe on someone else's patent, you may face legal action, damages, and loss of reputation. However, avoiding patent infringement is not always easy, as you may not be aware of all the existing patents in your domain, or you may not understand how they relate to your work. That's why data analysis can be a valuable tool to help you identify patent infringement in your R&D process and take preventive measures.
Patent infringement is the unauthorized use, making, selling, or offering of a patented invention, or a product or process that incorporates a patented invention, without the permission of the patent owner. Patent infringement can be direct, indirect, or contributory, depending on the level of involvement and knowledge of the infringer. Patent infringement can also be intentional or unintentional, but ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.
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Dr. Bisheswar Karmakar
Assistant Professor at Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology
Patent infringement can be thought of as the unauthorized utilization, manufacture, sale or import of a patented invention without the consent of the patent holder. This violates exclusive rights that have been granted to the inventor by law. The person infringing without proper authorization can face legal repurcussions which include paying damages for unauthorized use, or more commonly, lawsuits that simply require that the unauthorized usage be stopped.
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Anju Sharma
BASF: Lead Country Development
Intellectual property if used for the improvement of mankind should not be hidden, knowledge is for sharing....BUT intentional infringement for vile purpose is a crime should be punishable
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Mark Milton
Founder • Freelance strategist: Nurturing Startup ecosystems, driving Innovation and Entrepreneurial progress in the hardware sector through Research and Development (R&D).
Patent infringement occurs when someone uses, sells, or makes a patented invention without permission. It can be direct, indirect, or contributory, depending on involvement. Whether intentional or not, it’s illegal, and ignorance of the law isn’t a defense.
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Dr.Savitha C
Researcher| PhD (Data & AI) | IBMer-watsonx | Ex-Apple Wipro | Ex-Apple Quest | GenAI, Data Analytics, Data Science , NLP ,Geo-Spatial |Techno-Sales
To spot patent infringement in R&D, collect patent data, analyze similarities between patents and your works, review patent claims, and seek legal advice if needed. This process involves comparing your work with existing patents to ensure you're not infringing on others' intellectual property.
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Mohammad Nazari
R&D Manager at Kimyagaran Emrooz Chemical Ind. Co.
-By matching the data from other resources -Sometimes, it is even very simple. Once you try to repeat the process explained there, the very basic stuff like the solvent used for the chemical reaction is not working at all.
Data analysis can help you identify patent infringement in your R&D process by enabling you to search, compare, and visualize patent data from various sources and databases. For instance, you can use it to find relevant patents in your field of interest and filter them by criteria such as date, assignee, inventor, classification, citation, and claims. Additionally, data analysis can help you analyze the similarities and differences between your invention and existing patents, as well as visualize the patent landscape and the relationships between patents. Moreover, it can be used to monitor the patent activity and the competitive intelligence of your rivals, as well as evaluate the patentability and novelty of your invention. Ultimately, data analysis can help you assess the risks and opportunities of your R&D project.
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Esther Parra
Research and innovation development
Utilizando el análisis de datos en cada etapa del proceso, se puede detectar y mitigar eficientemente el riesgo de infracción de patentes. Por ejemplo, al organizar y estructurar la información recolectada durante la investigación y desarrollo con herramientas de análisis de datos. También, al realizar búsquedas eficientes en bases de datos de patentes. Además, al emplear análisis estadísticos y modelado predictivo para evaluar el riesgo de infracción. Finalmente, al crear gráficos e informes claros con herramientas de visualización de datos para documentar el análisis de infracción de patentes. Estas prácticas ayudan a reducir los riesgos de infringir patentes.
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Abhijith Suboyin
Sustainability Specialist (Scope 3), Senior Researcher, Petroleum Eng. TWA Energy Influencer 2023 | Young Professional Champion Lead - SPE MENA H2 WG & SPE NE YP Group | Sustainability, Strategy, AI/ML Climathon 2021
Data analysis can reveal patterns and overlaps in patent filings related to oil and gas technologies, helping companies navigate the complex landscape of existing patents. An example includes analyzing patent trends in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. By mapping the patent landscape, companies can identify potential infringement risks before they escalate, ensuring that new developments in reducing emissions and enhancing sustainability are not inadvertently infringing on existing patents.
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Ricardo Albuquerque
CTO | Innovation | IOT | Consulting | Software development | IA | Project Management| SCRUM | Digital Transformation| New Space | Trend
A análise de dados em P&D é crucial para prevenir violações de patentes, permitindo identificar inovações existentes e ajustar projetos para evitar conflitos legais. Ela oferece insights sobre tendências e oportunidades, otimizando o desenvolvimento de produtos. Ferramentas avançadas como IA previnem conflitos, assegurando inovação eficaz e estratégica.
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Muhammad Mohsin Khan
Research Associate at TU Darmstadt | Leveraging numerical simulation to predict high-temperature material behavior
1. Utilize patent databases like the USPTO or Espacenet to search for patents related to your R&D project. Look for keywords and technical terms relevant to your invention. 2. Techniques like text mining can be used to analyze competitor patents and product descriptions. This can help identify critical functionalities, components, and processes claimed in their patents. 3. Train machine learning algorithms on known patent infringement cases. These algorithms can then analyze your R&D project data and competitor information, highlighting potential areas of infringement.
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Natarajan G.
Assistant Director of Research and Assistant Professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University
Let's say a team is engineering a new antibody to target a specific cancer antigen. Mining the literature is best and first place to start. Then comes Data analysis. This would typically involve: Mine patents for details on existing antibodies targeting similar antigens. Compare the structure and binding mechanisms of your antibody with those described in the patents. Analyze trends in how courts interpret claims related to antibody design and antigen binding. By highlighting potential overlaps, data analysis prompts further investigation by patent experts. They can then determine the true risk of infringement and suggest alternative approaches to avoid legal issues.
Various data analysis tools and techniques can be used to identify patent infringement in your R&D process, such as patent search engines and databases like Google Patents, Espacenet, Patentscope, and Derwent Innovation. Patent analytics software and platforms like PatSnap, Innography, LexisNexis IP, and Clarivate Analytics offer advanced features for patent data mining, analysis, and visualization. Additionally, patent network analysis and mapping like Patent Network Explorer, Cytoscape, and Gephi allow you to create graphical representations of patent data and connections. Lastly, patent text analysis and natural language processing tools like PatentSight, Ambercite, and Semantic Scholar help you extract relevant information from patent texts.
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Antal Ludman MBA
Project Manager at SMP
EPO and national Patent orgs could give you the real answer and more: chance to find/ utilise results in legal way, but the best solution is if you suspect the main directions what can be infringement risk. Start with proper Descriptioning, describing your ideas. Select top similar ideas / patent, than analyse them by system/atic way, there is a many. Ask further details and reiterate results as your time allows. (hint: R&Developers does not care to timing but as manager need to decide the risk to stop further analysis and go for market with some risk - risk and prio also manageable by several methods) In Automotive life the R&D patenting issues are the same, seen e.g. Plastics, LED lighting or even electronics car industry.
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John Gottula
When you have access to quantitative information for the infringement candidate, you can conduct inferential statistics understand the probability of derivation between the patented product and yours. Inferential statistics (generalized linear models, logistic regression, Bayesian, etc.) gives you a p-value that essentially represents the likelihood the infringing sample was derived from the same population as yours. In this case, you're seeking a p-value that is not significant to demonstrate a 'failure to reject' similarity. To defend this approach, you will need multiple precise measures/descriptors of the products and a large sample size of products of their class.
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Larissa D.
Assessor to the Vice-Director @ ICTB - Fiocruz | Master of Science
Google Patents: It's like a search engine but specifically for finding patents. You type what your invention is about, and it shows you related patents. Espacenet: Europe's patent library, letting you explore inventions from many countries. PatSnap or Innography: These are like detective tools for patents. They help you dig deep into patents, showing you who owns them, how they're connected, and if your idea is really new. Cytoscape or Gephi: Imagine drawing a family tree, but instead of relatives, you're connecting different patents to see how they relate to each other. Semantic Scholar: This tool helps you read and understand patents better by breaking down the complicated language into something easier to digest.
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Bruen Turazzi Almeida
Patent Law | Quality Control | Regulatory Affairs | Industrial Production | Teaching
A mitigação de riscos de infração de patentes na indústria farmacêutica, a análise de dados se vale de ferramentas como Espacenet, Google Patents e Lens.org para busca avançada em bases de dados de patentes. A análise semântica, auxiliada por IA e algoritmos de machine learning, identifica similaridades complexas entre documentos de patentes, destacando potenciais riscos de infração ou oportunidades de inovação não exploradas. Além disso, análises de citações utilizando ferramentas como Citespace e VOSviewer mapeiam redes de inovação, apontando para áreas tecnológicas emergentes e relações estratégicas.
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John Cave
Consultant at Food, Confectionery & Chemistry
All depends on the processing steps, only unique processes are patented, once you work in a specific area for a few years you will learn, also how to circumvent the process if possible.
To effectively identify patent infringement in your R&D process using data analysis, it is important to follow some best practices and tips. Firstly, you should define your research question and scope clearly, and use appropriate keywords and filters to narrow down your search results. Additionally, it is beneficial to use multiple sources and databases to cross-check and verify your findings, while also updating your search regularly to keep up with the latest patent publications and grants. Moreover, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods should be used to analyze and evaluate patent data, taking into account the legal, technical, and commercial aspects of patent infringement. Furthermore, data visualization can be used to communicate and present results in a clear and compelling way, using interactive and dynamic charts and graphs to highlight the key points and trends. Finally, it is always wise to seek professional advice and guidance from patent experts or attorneys if you are unsure about the interpretation or implication of patent data or if you face a potential patent infringement claim.
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Abhijith Suboyin
Sustainability Specialist (Scope 3), Senior Researcher, Petroleum Eng. TWA Energy Influencer 2023 | Young Professional Champion Lead - SPE MENA H2 WG & SPE NE YP Group | Sustainability, Strategy, AI/ML Climathon 2021
A best practice in the oil and gas industry is to conduct thorough patent landscaping at the outset of any new R&D project, especially those aimed at sustainability and emission reduction. For example, before developing a new method of reducing methane emissions from gas wells, a comprehensive review of existing patents can inform the project's direction and help avoid infringement. Additionally, regular monitoring of newly issued patents can keep R&D efforts aligned with the legal landscape.
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Larissa D.
Assessor to the Vice-Director @ ICTB - Fiocruz | Master of Science
-Define Your Scope. Use precise keywords and filters to refine your searches. -Don't rely on a single database. Cross-reference your findings with various patent databases to ensure accuracy. -Regularly update your searches to include the latest patents and publications. -Use both numbers (quantitative) and insights (qualitative) to understand the patents deeply. Consider the legal, technical, and commercial angles. -Present your findings visually using charts and graphs to make complex information understandable at a glance. And last but not least (more important): Consult Experts. Seeking advice from patent attorneys or experts is a smart move.
Identifying patent infringement in your R&D process using data analysis can bring you many benefits, such as saving time and money, protecting your intellectual property rights and assets, and improving your R&D performance and innovation potential. Additionally, you can learn from the best practices and mistakes of other inventors, as well as gain valuable insights and knowledge. However, there are also challenges that come with this process, such as dealing with the complexity and volume of patent data, understanding the legal and technical nuances of patent laws across different jurisdictions, coping with the uncertainty of patent data interpretation, and balancing the trade-off between disclosure and secrecy.
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Abhijith Suboyin
Sustainability Specialist (Scope 3), Senior Researcher, Petroleum Eng. TWA Energy Influencer 2023 | Young Professional Champion Lead - SPE MENA H2 WG & SPE NE YP Group | Sustainability, Strategy, AI/ML Climathon 2021
The benefits of diligent patent analysis in oil and gas R&D include avoiding costly infringement lawsuits, fostering innovation, and ensuring the commercial viability of new technologies. However, challenges include the sheer volume of patents to analyze and the difficulty of interpreting complex technical patents. A case in point is the rapidly evolving field of liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology, where staying abreast of patent developments is both crucial and challenging.
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James Butcher
Strategic Consultant and Speaker (Business Growth, Supply Chain and Sustainability)
The real challenge is that no database is going to give you the answer; humans that really understand what is novel. In your design. And in competitors design. Therefore, early in the design stage your team need to spend time in the parent/IP databases listed here reviewing the prior art and ensuring you have the freedom to operate (i.e. will not infringe). If you have issues you can seek alternate designs early in the process. Prior art (included that published but never granted) can help inform your design. Good ideas and bad. And, by definition, if you are free to operate your team should have a view on whether your own inventions can be patented and protected.
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Larissa D.
Assessor to the Vice-Director @ ICTB - Fiocruz | Master of Science
Benefits: -Saves resources by avoiding legal issues early; -Helps safeguard your innovations and intellectual property; -By analyzing existing patents, you can improve your R&D strategies and innovate more effectively. Challenges: -The vast amount of patent data can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. -Patent laws vary by country, making it hard to ensure global compliance. -Understanding the technicalities and legal implications of patents requires expertise. -Balancing the need to protect your ideas while navigating the public domain of patents can be tricky.
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Bryant, Robert
Sr. Materials Engineer at NASA Langley Research Center
Hire a patent firm that specializes in market clearance. Unless you are a patent attorney, this is out of your area of expertise.
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James Butcher
Strategic Consultant and Speaker (Business Growth, Supply Chain and Sustainability)
Just because a Patent exists doesn’t mean you cannot do it. Check it was granted and that is still valid. Check that the owner still exists (if not, there is nobody to own / claim against you). Plus, check the prior art. Is their patent application valid or did they do a poor search in their process. I’ve seen both sides. A company tried to shut us down for infringing their patent. Their patent wasn’t worth the paper it was written on (and the tens of thousands they’d spent on it). We went on the create a successful multi-million dollar business. I’ve also experienced when others underestimated the scope and validity of our patents. It was a very expensive mistake for them! The lesson is to really understand the IP landscape.
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Abhijith Suboyin
Sustainability Specialist (Scope 3), Senior Researcher, Petroleum Eng. TWA Energy Influencer 2023 | Young Professional Champion Lead - SPE MENA H2 WG & SPE NE YP Group | Sustainability, Strategy, AI/ML Climathon 2021
In the pursuit of sustainability within oil and gas, considering the global patent landscape becomes even more critical. For example, a company developing a new, more sustainable drilling technology must consider not only local but also international patents, as the goal is often global deployment. This underscores the importance of a comprehensive, well-informed approach to patent analysis that includes understanding international variations in patent law and the potential for collaboration or licensing agreements.
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Muhammad Mohsin Khan
Research Associate at TU Darmstadt | Leveraging numerical simulation to predict high-temperature material behavior
Data analysis can flag potential risks but cannot definitively determine infringement. Consulting with a patent attorney is crucial for a final assessment. Furthermore, the process is ongoing. Continuous data analysis is essential as your R&D progresses and competitor information evolves.
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