Patent Search Cost Packages: Comparison SV2 Vs. SV3

Before we deep dive into the comparison of Search Variant 2 (SV2) and Search Variant 4 (SV4), let us first understand the different kinds of searches available, namely novelty search and invalidity searches.

A Novelty search, also known as Patentability search, is often conducted at the early stages of R&D. It determines whether an invention already exists before an inventor submits his or her patent application. In other words, Novelty search looks through prior art with the sole objective of determining if the invention is novel with regards to an existing technology.

Invalidity searches are done with the objective of invalidating or revoking an existing patent claim or for a pre-grant opposition claim. This search is typically done upon confrontation with a patent infringement suit.

At Sagacious IP, different variants for searches are available and are broadly categorized based on their jurisdictions, time of search and language of search basis. Search variant 2 and 4 are both applicable on novelty and invalidity searches. Let us understand the different variants:

  • Search Variant 1 or SV1 – This search is a single language search which is English and covers just one jurisdiction.
  • Search Variant 2 or SV2 – This search is a single language search which is English and covers nine jurisdictions which may vary.
  • Search Variant 3 or SV3 – This search is conducted in three languages – English, German, French and their jurisdictions vary – worldwide.
  • Search Variant 4 or SV4 – This search has a worldwide jurisdiction and is offered in six languages – Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English, German, French.

The analysis of results identified in other than English language is done through machine translated text.

Difference between SV2 and SV4 searches

SV2 and SV4 searches can be differentiated based on the following criteria:

Jurisdictions Coverage and their significance

  • SV2 – World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), USA, Europe, Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, China & UK
  • SV4 – Worldwide i.e. Patent Search in 100+ Countries [25+ Countries Full Texts]

Language of search and their significance

  • SV2 – English Keywords only
  • SV4 – English keywords along with German, French, Korean, Japanese & Chinese counterparts

Databases for search

  • SV2 – Questel Orbit/ Derwent Innovation/Patseer
  • SV4 – Questel Orbit/ Derwent Innovation/Patseer + National Database of main jurisdictions especially for Korean, Japanese & Chinese keyword searches

Highlighted PDF of mapped documents

  • SV2 – No highlighted PDFs are included along with these reports
  • SV4 – Highlighted PDFs are included in such formats where sources of these PDFs may vary according to their availability. For instance, Google patents, Espacenet, Questel Orbit, etc.

Time, Effort & Cost spent on search

  • Because of the above-mentioned steps and efforts, the time and cost required for SV2 becomes half of what it takes for SV4. Besides this, the following two factors also play a vital role:

Report version: Basic vs Detailed

Non-Patent Literature: Included or Excluded

Who can benefit from these variants?

SV2 and SV4 search versions are an important part of tactical choices that you need to select from, on the basis of:

  • Stakes: If stakes are really high and you do not want to leave any stone unturned then one should go with SV4 version.
  • Money: Your budget is another important factor
  • Time: If you need the results on urgent basis, then you can follow SV2 variant or if you have sufficient time for filing or invalidating a patent, then you should go for SV4 variant.
  • Details required: report version, whether PDF required or not.

Although the above are key variants, we at Sagacious IP also customize reports as per clients’ request. The below table provides an understanding on the service:

VariantJurisdiction CoverageSearch LanguageNPL SearchPDF
SV2 AdequatePatents published in US, EP, WO, DE, FR, GB, CN, KR and JPEnglishAs per the instructionsNot Required
SV3 ComprehensivePatents published worldwideEnglish + German + FrenchAs per the instructionsYes – Highlighted (Relevant and Related only)
SV4 Comprehensive PlusPatents published worldwideEnglish + German + French + Japanese + Korean + ChineseAs per the instructionsYes – Highlighted (Relevant and Related only)

Our sample reports for SV2 and SV4 searches highlight the importance of both searches in different ways based on above categorization. Download our reports SV2 and SV4 and visit this link for more details on our service.

-Lakshay Sharma (Engineering) and the Editorial Team

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