Patent Equivalent Search is also known as Patent Family Member Search and looking for members of a certain patent family in another country. This search is directed towards identifying whether a family member of a patent/patent application has been filed in particular jurisdictions. This is often used in light of identifying FTO in a particular country knowing that the patent has been filed or granted in another country.

Patent searchers carry out ‘Equivalent’ search after a relevant patent citation, with respect to a specific technology, has been identified and now it is required to be checked whether a family member of the same patent citation has been filed and is live in any other jurisdiction.

Equivalent searches may be conducted by or for ‘businesses without in-house research capabilities’ for a patent document/citation of a product or a process which is lucrative to be practised in another jurisdiction. If the equivalent search is positive, i. e., no equivalent patent application or no family member of a patent application is filed and/or is live in that jurisdiction, then there is no hindrance from that patent family for practicing the product or the process in that jurisdiction.

This article contains excerpts taken from E-Book on Practical Patent Searching, second edition. To continue reading please download the full copy here: https://patseer.com/book-on-patent-searching/.

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