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Freedom to operate (FTO)

The legal ability to commercialize a product or process in a given market without infringing third-party patents.

Freedom to operate (FTO) is the legal ability to commercialize a product, process, or service in a given market without infringing the patents of third parties. An FTO assessment compares the technical features of the product against active, in-force patents in each country where launch is planned. Because patents are jurisdictional, FTO is always evaluated country by country. A clean FTO opinion does not guarantee absence of risk — it states that no relevant blocking rights were identified at the time of the search. FTO assessments are usually combined with a clear understanding of the protective scope of each potentially blocking patent.

Cookies

We use cookies and other technologies (“tools”). With these, we read / save information on your terminal device and process your personal data.

If you give us your consent, we process this information and data for usage analysis and analytics. During this process, data is also passed on to external service providers. If personal data is transferred to third countries, there is a risk that authorities may access and evaluate this data and that your data subject rights cannot be enforced. By clicking on “Agree to all optional tools”, you give your express consent to the storage of information in the terminal device and to the processing of your personal data. This consent also includes the transfer to third countries. Your consent can be revoked at any time with effect for the future. Further details can be found in our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy.