Terms of use

Using this site

You may read, print, and share pages of this site for your own use. You may not copy the content to build a competing service, scrape it at scale, attempt to access non-public areas, or interfere with the site's operation.

Information, not advice

Everything published here is general information about research, invention development, and intellectual property. It is not legal advice and cannot account for your jurisdiction, contracts, funding terms, or disclosure history.

Using this site or submitting a form does not create an attorney–client or agent–client relationship, does not file anything, and does not create, preserve, or extend any right or deadline.

Requests through this site

Submitting a request is an enquiry, not an engagement. We may decline a request, including where there is a conflict, where the subject matter is outside our competence, or where the request appears to be for an unlawful purpose.

Paid work begins only when a written scope has been agreed. That scope sets deliverables, fees, timelines, and boundaries, and it prevails over anything on this website.

No guaranteed outcomes

We do not guarantee novelty, patentability, grant, registration, enforceability, freedom to operate, non-infringement, commercial success, or any timeline. Those outcomes are decided by patent offices, courts, third parties, and the state of the art.

Third-party links and data

Links to external sites and references to third-party databases are provided for convenience. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, availability, or accuracy.

Intellectual property in this site

The text, design, code, and diagrams on this site belong to us or our licensors. The reference numerals, figures, and examples used here are illustrative and do not describe any client matter.

Liability

To the extent permitted by law, our liability arising from use of this website is excluded. Liability arising from engaged work is dealt with in the written scope for that work.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws applicable at our place of business, and disputes are subject to the courts with jurisdiction there. Where a written engagement specifies otherwise, that engagement prevails.