Most clients get the certainty they need after a single fixed-fee cycle.
Our Systematic Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) analysis helps you reduce the uncertainty around patent infringement through a structured, attorney-led process — not just another patent search.
Our methodology is designed to capture the biggest increase in confidence first.
Unlike conventional FTO studies, there’s no need to commit your full budget upfront. You stop when you’ve reached the level of confidence your business requires.
A conventional search tries to find patents. Our methodology is designed to answer a commercial decision: whether the remaining uncertainty is low enough to proceed. That’s why every cycle has a defined objective, a structured increase in confidence, and a clear stopping point.
Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 only proceed if you decide the remaining uncertainty justifies further investment — not by default.
Most providers simply search for patents. We help you answer the question that actually matters:
Traditional “landscape” searches often hand you hundreds of patents and a long report — without telling you whether you’ve searched enough, how much risk remains, where to search next, or whether spending more would meaningfully improve your certainty. Search expands until the budget runs out, not until you know enough.
While early-stage development typically needs only limited FTO coverage, greater certainty matters more as you move toward launch. Cycles 2, 3, 4… let you build that certainty step by step, only when you decide it’s worth it — each one expanding into the next-highest-risk area identified earlier, never repeating work you’ve already paid for.
Landscape FTO
Systematic FTO (S&P)
Step 1 · Cycle 1 only
Surface the candidates
We use AI-assisted semantic search to identify the patents most likely to overlap with your product, searched worldwide to identify relevant patent families before determining where patent rights are actually in force.
Step 2 · every cycle
Prioritise the risks
We classify every candidate patent as relevant, maybe relevant, or not relevant. This defines exactly where the next search cycle begins, so we don’t waste time — or your budget — reviewing the same patents again.
Step 3 · every cycle
Validate the threats
Our licensed patent attorneys review the most relevant claims against your product, claim by claim, and identify which patents genuinely warrant further legal attention — and which can be set aside.
After Cycle 1, you receive:
Most clients get the answers they need from Cycle 1 alone.
A Systematic FTO is most valuable if:
Most FTO failures start with one of these four assumptions.
“I have a patent, so I can sell my product.”
False. A patent gives you the right to exclude others — it doesn’t clear you against an earlier, broader patent that may still block your launch.
“We only sell in one country, so we only need to search there.”
Not enough. Patent families span borders. A patent that’s live in your target market may only surface if you search worldwide first — then check where it’s actually in force.
“An FTO is a one-time exercise.”
Not really. Patent landscapes change daily. An FTO is a point-in-time opinion, not a permanent clearance — which is exactly why a cycle-based approach matches how products actually develop.
“FTO means finding every relevant patent.”
Impossible. 100% coverage is never achievable. The goal is to reduce commercially significant uncertainty to a level you’re comfortable launching with — systematically, not exhaustively.
After years of conducting Freedom-to-Operate analyses, we realised many clients didn’t need a bigger search — they needed a better way to know when enough searching had been done. The Systematic FTO methodology combines that experience, across EP, DE, SG and UPC jurisdictions, with modern AI-assisted search tools and attorney-led legal analysis.
Find answers to common questions about our Sprint Patents services, including patent drafting, Invention Harvesting, Freedom-to-Operate studies, Systematic FTO and Infringement Analysis.
Visit our FAQ page to learn more about how our services work, what you can expect, and which option may be right for you.