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Free scoping call
Thirty minutes. You describe the product, the launch markets, and the time horizon. We scope the search depth, claim-charting volume, and jurisdictions, then quote in writing before any work begins.
Freedom-to-operate · Patent clearance
Find out if your product can ship — before it does.
A freedom-to-operate search identifies live third-party patents whose claims could block your product in a target market. It answers a different question than patentability: can you sell this without infringing, rather than can you patent it.
From $3,500 — scoped and quoted before any search begins.
Freedom-to-operate
Blocking patents found
Risk assessed
Design-around advised
Clear to launch
Or clear to license
Legal team
GTC's patent team
Patent counsel
1,436+ patents10,747+ clients11 attorneys
1,436+ patents10,747+ clients11 attorneys10+ years
IIPLA Top IP Consultancy 2026Upwork · Top Rated Plus
Trusted by founders and brands worldwide
How it works
Three steps to FTO clearance.
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Search and claim-charting
We identify live, in-force patents across your target jurisdictions and screen out expired or lapsed records. Each relevant patent's independent claims are mapped against your product features. That mapping is the work product diligence teams read.
3
Risk opinion and design-around memo
A written, privileged opinion grades each identified patent green, yellow, or red. Yellow risks get monitoring notes; red risks get design-around proposals or licensing-target lists.
What it costs
Scoped to your product and markets
Freedom-to-Operate Clearance starts from $3,500. FTO scope varies with the technology complexity, the number of product features to clear, and the number of target jurisdictions. We quote a flat fee in writing after the free scoping call, so you approve the cost before any search begins.
What's included
- Free 30-minute scoping call covering product features, target jurisdictions, and time horizon
- Patent landscape search across the major patent jurisdictions
- Active-patent screen — only in-force patents, with expired and lapsed records set aside
- Claim-charting of each relevant patent's independent claims against your product
- Risk grade per identified patent: green, yellow, or red
- Design-around recommendations where the risk is mitigable, and a licensing-target list where it is not
- Written, privileged opinion delivered to your client portal
- Single-jurisdiction FTO (US only or EU only)
- From $3,500
- Multi-jurisdiction FTO (US, EU, plus one or two others)
- From $5,000
- Global FTO (major jurisdictions)
- From $7,500
- Claim-charting only (no written opinion)
- From $2,000
- Annual FTO update
- Quoted upfront
Figures are starting points scoped on the free call. The live catalog drives the current price, and we confirm a flat fee in writing before any work begins.
Get started
Order a freedom-to-operate study
Describe your product and target markets, and a patent attorney will scope the clearance search and email a flat-fee quote.
No payment required Reply within 1 business dayA GTC attorney reviews it & sends a flat-fee quote.
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01Brand details
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02More details
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03Your details
No payment is taken now. We quote your FTO scope in writing after the free scoping call, before any search work begins.
Brand details
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The product you want to clear for launch.
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An FTO maps third-party patent claims against your product's features, so list the main features you want cleared.
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An FTO is done per market — we search active patents in each country you will sell in. List your target markets (for example US, EU, India).
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Helps us prioritise — an FTO is usually done before launch or a funding round.
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Helps us assign the right searcher.
Why GTC
When you need an FTO — and when you don't.
Legal team
GTC's patent team
Patent counsel
Attorney-led prosecution
Before a deep-tech launch
Hardware, semiconductors, medical devices, biotech, and software with patentable methods all sit in well-populated patent landscapes. A search before launch surfaces blocking claims while a design-around still costs engineering time, not market share.
As part of Series A or B diligence
Institutional investors often require an FTO opinion before a deep-tech round. A recent privileged opinion shortens the diligence back-and-forth and signals operational maturity.
Before you raise your profile
A product launch, a large customer win, or press coverage puts you on patent holders' radar. The search tells you what is out there before someone else points it out in a demand letter.
Privileged, investor-ready work product
An attorney delivers the opinion as attorney-client privileged work product. Privilege protects it from compelled disclosure if a competitor later alleges willful infringement.
Your Customer Success Team
A dedicated team that owns your matter from start to finish.
Every GTC client gets a dedicated Account Manager and a Senior Account Manager who learn your business and stay with you from first email to final filing. They are named people who pick up the phone and already know your matter, so every step moves forward without delay.
Your Account Manager
Your day-to-day point of contact, who coordinates every matter, keeps things moving, and already knows your file. They have your full history, so you start every conversation where the last one left off.
Your Senior Account Manager
Senior oversight on strategy and escalations, stepping in as your needs grow, so every important detail stays on track.
A named person, on email or a call, at every step.
How we compare
What an attorney-led FTO includes that a self-search does not
| What you get | GTC | Online filing services | Doing it yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written, attorney-signed clearance opinion | |||
| Attorney-client privileged work product | |||
| Claim-charting of independent claims against your features | |||
| Live, in-force patents only — expired and lapsed screened out | |||
| Design-around and licensing-target recommendations | |||
| Patent database search across major jurisdictions |
Written, attorney-signed clearance opinion
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Attorney-client privileged work product
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Claim-charting of independent claims against your features
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Live, in-force patents only — expired and lapsed screened out
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Design-around and licensing-target recommendations
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Patent database search across major jurisdictions
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
How the engagement runs
From scoping call to an investor-ready clearance opinion.
An FTO is the search that tells you whether the product can ship. It is point-in-time work, so the path is built to produce something diligence teams can rely on.
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Day 1 — free
Scoping call
You describe the product, the launch markets, and the time horizon. We scope jurisdictions, search depth, and claim-charting volume, then quote in writing.
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Search phase
Landscape search and active-patent screen
We map the patent landscape across your target jurisdictions and screen to in-force patents only, setting aside expired or lapsed noise.
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Analysis
Claim-charting against your product
Each relevant patent's independent claims are charted against your product features. This mapping is what investors and counsel actually read.
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Delivery
Risk opinion and design-around memo
A written, privileged opinion grades each patent green, yellow, or red, with monitoring, design-around, or licensing-target recommendations for the claims that matter.
In their words
All your legal, in one place.
One accountable team across every practice, operating since 2016.
1,436+
Patents prosecuted
10,747+
Clients served
11
In-house attorneys
10+
Years since 2016
FTO questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
An FTO answers whether you can sell a product without infringing live patents. A patentability search answers whether you can get a patent on an invention. Many deep-tech teams need both: patentability when filing their own patents, and FTO before a product launch. We talk through which one the moment calls for on the free scoping call.
Clear the product before launch
Ready when you are.
Book a free 30-minute scoping call. We discuss the product features, target jurisdictions, and time horizon, and quote a written FTO scope before any search work begins.
