Free to start · no sign-up · no card. Tell Chris what has happened and see whether we can help before you pay anything. One matter · one case folder · a full day of drafting. If the drafts are not up to the standard you expected, email us within 7 days of paying for a full refund. If money is tight, Help with Fees can remove the court fee entirely, and Citizens Advice is free — we will always tell you when you do not need us.
A patent must be new. Before you invest in an application, you need to know whether someone has already published your idea — what’s called prior art. You can search for it yourself, for free.
Why search first
If your idea is already out there — in an existing patent, a product, or even an old academic paper — the IPO’s search will find it, and your application will fail on novelty. Finding it yourself first saves you the fees and the heartache, and helps you see how to make your invention genuinely different.
The free tools to use
- Espacenet (the European Patent Office’s database) — over 140 million patent documents worldwide. The best starting point.
- Google Patents — fast, friendly keyword searching across global patents.
- The IPO’s “Ipsum” service — for checking the status and documents of UK patents.
- The GOV.UK patent search tools, linked from the patent guidance.
How to search well
- Brainstorm keywords — and their synonyms. Inventors and patents often describe the same thing in different words (a “cup” might be a “vessel” or “container”). Search broadly, then narrow.
- Use classifications. Patents are filed under classification codes (CPC/IPC). Once you find one relevant patent, use its code to find others like it — far more powerful than keywords alone.
- Read the claims, not just the title. The claims tell you what each patent actually protects.
- Look beyond patents. Any public disclosure counts — products, websites, papers, manuals. Search the open web too.
When to stop
You can’t prove a negative, and a DIY search won’t be as exhaustive as the IPO’s. The goal is to catch the obvious blockers and to understand the landscape your invention sits in. If you find nothing close after a thorough look, you’re in good shape to apply.
Cleared the search? Next: understanding what it actually costs — and how much you save doing it yourself.
Last reviewed: June 2026 · For use in England & Wales. eLitigant is a Community Interest Company (No. 16566612), not a law firm and not a firm of patent attorneys, and does not give legal advice. A patent is a serious, technical undertaking — the IPO itself advises that getting one is complicated. Use these guides to do the groundwork yourself, and consider a one-off professional check before you commit. Always confirm current forms and fees on gov.uk.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Would you rather we drafted it for you?
Tell us what has happened and what you need. Every document is quoted case by case, on its size and the time it needs, and the price is agreed with you by email before any work starts. Nothing is charged until you say go.
Once agreed, it comes back to you within one working day (business documents usually within the hour). You read it, check every date and figure, sign it and file it: it stays your document throughout. No need to attach anything now — once we reply, you send your papers by email.
We use your details only to reply to this enquiry. eLitigant CIC is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. You remain the author of your documents.