Systematic FTO: What I Showed the World in My Webinar with Qthena

Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) analysis is one of the most important activities in patent practice, but it is also one of the most time-consuming. Patent professionals often spend countless hours reviewing search results before they can even begin their legal assessment.

In my recent webinar with Jonathan Laidler, the Chief Growth Officer at ipQuants, I demonstrated a systematic approach using Qthena to make this process more efficient.

The Challenge
A typical FTO search can produce hundreds or even thousands of patent documents. The first task is identifying which documents are truly relevant before comparing patent claims against the product under assessment.

This manual review consumes significant time and resources.

A Systematic Workflow
During the webinar, I demonstrated how a structured workflow can support every stage of the process, including:

Understanding the product or technology
Reviewing search results
Identifying the most relevant patents
Comparing patent claims
Organising findings for legal assessment

The objective is not to replace patent attorneys. Rather, it is to reduce repetitive work so that professionals can focus on legal analysis, commercial risk, and strategic advice.

Why Patent-Specific Artificial Intelligence Matters
General artificial intelligence (AI) tools are not designed for patent work. Freedom-to-Operate requires an understanding of technical language, patent claims, and complex legal documents.

Purpose-built AI tools for patent work can assist with document review while leaving legal judgement where it belongs: with the patent attorney.

Conclusion
AI is changing the way patent professionals work. The greatest opportunity is not replacing expertise, but creating systematic workflows that improve efficiency, consistency, and the quality of Freedom-to-Operate analyses.

Read the full article here.