Is your idea/invention new?

Regardless of how original you think your invention is, a patent may already protect part or all of it.

Search existing patents

You can search Espacenet to see if your idea is new.

Please note that this service is not designed as a comprehensive patents search facility. Therefore, it should not be used to determine conclusively whether your idea can be patented.

You can get confidential advice regarding your proposed application from a number of different sources, such as patent attorneys, solicitors, or our staff.