FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about managing intellectual property rights
What exactly is a patent search and when is it advisable
| A patent search helps to identify relevant prior art, assess technical developments, and recognize risks early on before filing for intellectual property rights or launching products. Serviva conducts these searches in professional patent databases and includes non-patent literature as needed. |
What do you understand under an FTO-search?
| A Freedom-to-Operate search examines whether third-party patents or utility models could restrict the planned scope of action for a product or technology. It is particularly useful during the development phase or prior to a market launch. |
Does a search by Serviva replace the legal assessment by a patent attorney?
| No. Serviva provides search results, analyses, and expert guidance. The final legal assessment, such as whether an opposition should be filed or whether a product infringes on third-party intellectual property rights, is typically carried out by the client together with their advising patent attorneys. |
Why is a trademark search important before registration
| A simple internet search is often not sufficient prior to introducing a new product or company name. Existing trademarks can also create a likelihood of confusion if they are similar. Serviva searches for identical, partially identical, and, upon request, phonetically similar trademarks. |
What is an IP or landscape analysis?
| An IP analysis evaluates large volumes of patent data and combines them with economic information to gain insights into innovation trends and competitor activities. It frequently involves preparing the results for corporate management to help lay the groundwork for strategic decisions. Landscape analyses generally have a technical focus, enabling the identification of technology trends, key patenting areas, and so-called white spots. |
What is meant by technology monitoring and competitor IP monitoring?
| The regular monitoring of newly published technical property rights helps companies identify current technology trends and stay consistently informed about new developments by competitors. These two monitoring approaches can also be seamlessly combined. Upon request, Serviva also offers an AI-based pre-sorting of the monitoring results. |
What is patent monitoring?
| If potentially conflicting third-party patent applications have been identified during searches or monitoring, tracking helps to keep an eye on changes in their legal status. In this way, for example, you are informed early on about the impending grant of a patent. |
When is an IP valuation useful?
| The valuation of patents, patent applications, utility models, or trademarks is useful and sometimes even necessary when intellectual property rights are to be sold to third parties, licensed, transferred within a corporate group, valued for investments, or prioritized within a portfolio. In M&A processes of technology companies, patent valuation is part of the due diligence. Serviva offers qualitative and quantitative valuations. |
General informative Questions
What do we provide?
| Serviva provides software products and services to support professionals in navigating technical innovations and managing their daily operations regarding intellectual property rights |
Who are our services intended for?
| Our services are aimed at the patent departments of large and medium-sized companies, technology-oriented small businesses and startups, patent attorneys, universities, research institutions, as well as insolvency administrators. |
In which languages can you communicate with us?
| The Serviva team speaks German, English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Turkish, Swedish, and Polish. |
How can you contact us?
| E-Mail: info@serviva.com
Tel.: +49 30 8877 1300 |
Questions about the services offered by Serviva
What services do we offer?
| Serviva offers, among other things, patent searches, patent monitoring, IP consulting, IP analyses, IP valuations, IP commercialization, trademark searches, IP management, data maintenance, as well as workshops and seminars. |
How are monitoring results delivered?
| Depending on your preferences, results can be delivered monthly or twice a month, for example via email, a data room, PDF, Word, Excel, or as a data delivery.. |
What do we offer in the field of IP consulting?
| Serviva provides practical consulting on IP strategies, IP processes, SME-related topics, and licensing negotiations. The goal is to combine technical and commercial aspects and to develop actionable recommendations. |
Does Serviva apply the German norm DIN 77100 in patent valuation
| Yes. Both the German standard DIN 77100 and its Austrian counterpart (ÖNORM A 6801) do not prescribe a fixed method, but rather provide a framework for monetary patent valuations in which transparency and traceability play a major role. The choice of the valuation method depends on the purpose of the valuation and the availability of background information. From Serviva’s perspective, both standards are helpful instruments for carrying out a professional valuation and are therefore consistently applied. |
Do we also provide support with the commercialization of intellectual property rights?
| Yes. Serviva assists with the commercialization of patents, trademarks, and patent portfolios, for example through licensing or sale. A particular focus is also placed on the commercialization of intellectual property rights in insolvency situations. |
Do we also offer patent valuation on a commission basis?
| Serviva’s business model for the valuation of intellectual property rights consists of an effort-based component at a significantly reduced daily rate and a performance-based component. A cost cap can be agreed upon for the effort-based component. Serviva does not offer a strictly commission-based remuneration model. |
Do we offer workshops and training?
| Yes. Serviva offers workshops and seminars on innovation management and patent matters. Upon request, in-house seminars at the client’s premises are also available in German or English. |
Questions about the software solutions offered by Serviva
What software solutions does Serviva offer in IP management?
| Serviva offers solutions relating to Patricia®, PATselect® 4.0, EDMS document management, IP hosting/SaaS, as well as add-ins. Furthermore, Serviva supports the specification, implementation, data migration, and operational go-live. |
What is Patricia®?
| Patricia® is an IP management software for law firms, innovation enterprises, and IP departments. It supports, among other things, communication, document storage, portfolio structuring, reporting, and other tasks in daily intellectual property management. |
Can Serviva also host IP software?
| Yes. Serviva offers its clients the secure and highly available operation of IP management and search software on its own servers. The systems can be provisioned virtually or as dedicated servers and operated in a German data center; alternatively, on-premise support at the client’s location is possible. |
Does Serviva provide support with data migration and data maintenance?
| Yes. Serviva handles data maintenance, data entry, digitization, document import, and data migration. It is also possible to cross-reference internal data with official registry data to improve data quality. |
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