Everything you need to know about FTO Checker — from what's in the reports to how we handle your data.
Whether you're an investor screening a deal, a founder preparing to raise, or an IP professional looking for a fast first assessment, you'll find answers below.
What FTO Checker does
What is FTO Checker?
FTO Checker is an AI-powered intelligence platform that generates structured due diligence briefs on any technology or invention. Each report combines patent landscape analysis, market intelligence, competitive positioning, scientific publications, and recent funding activity — delivered in under 90 seconds.
It's designed for anyone who needs to evaluate a technology opportunity quickly: investors, founders, corporate teams, and IP professionals.
What's in an FTO Checker report?
Depending on the tier you choose, a report can include:
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A market outlook with SWOT analysis
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Competitive landscape showing key players and their positioning
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Recent deals and funding activity in the space
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Regional R&D activity and patent filing trends
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A ranked list of the most relevant patents, with AI-generated justifications
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Scientific and technical publications related to your technology
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A full patent dataset export (CSV) for further analysis
The IP Deep Dive tier adds claim-level patent analysis with element-by-element mapping — useful for patent attorneys or for deals that require closer IP scrutiny.
How is FTO Checker different from a patent search tool?
Most patent search tools — including free databases like Google Patents or Espacenet — return lists of patents based on keyword queries. Interpreting the results is left to you.
FTO Checker goes further. It combines patent data with market intelligence, scientific publications, funding data, and competitive analysis into a single structured brief. The goal isn't just to find patents — it's to help you understand the landscape around a technology so you can make better decisions.
Can FTO Checker replace a full legal FTO or patentability opinion?
No — and it's not designed to. A legal FTO opinion requires claim-by-claim analysis by a qualified patent attorney, and carries legal weight that no automated tool can provide.
FTO Checker is a screening and intelligence tool. It helps you identify relevant patents, understand the competitive context, and prepare before engaging legal counsel. Many of our users — including patent attorneys — use it as a structured starting point to save time and focus their analysis where it matters most.
Who is FTO Checker for?
Our users include business angels and micro-VCs screening deal flow, startup founders preparing to raise or launch, corporate innovation teams evaluating technologies, TTOs assessing inventions, and patent attorneys looking for a fast first assessment. See our Use Cases page for details.
Reports and pricing
What are the different report tiers?
FTO Checker offers three tiers:
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Free report: A first look at the landscape — enough to understand the space and see the value of a full analysis.
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Market Scout: A comprehensive market and IP landscape brief with SWOT, competitive analysis, deals, funding trends, and a ranked patent list.
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IP Deep Dive: Everything in Market Scout, plus detailed claim-level patent analysis with element mapping — designed for deals that require closer IP scrutiny or for sharing with patent counsel.
See our Pricing page for current rates and volume options.
Do you offer volume pricing?
Yes. We offer volume packs for organisations that need to run multiple reports — incubators supporting cohorts, investment funds screening deal flow, or IP departments running systematic assessments. Volume pricing is available on request.
Can I share a report with my team or portfolio companies?
Yes. Reports are delivered as standalone documents (email with full HTML report + PDF document + Excel export) and can be forwarded or shared freely within your organisation. There are no per-seat restrictions.
How long does it take to get a report?
Most reports are delivered within 90 seconds. That includes AI-powered query reformulation, patent database scanning, market data collection, competitive analysis, and report compilation — all fully automated.
Data and methodology
What data sources does FTO Checker use?
FTO Checker draws on multiple sources to build each report:
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Patent data: Global patent databases covering major jurisdictions (EPO, USPTO, WIPO, and others)
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Scientific publications: Leading academic journals and research databases
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Market intelligence: Press coverage, industry analysis, and competitive data from public sources
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Funding and deals: Recent investment rounds, acquisitions, and partnerships in the relevant space
We continuously expand and refine our data sources to improve coverage and relevance.
How does the AI search work?
Patents are written in specialised legal language that rarely matches everyday technical descriptions. To account for this, FTO Checker doesn't rely on a single query: it uses multiple AI agents to rephrase your technology description into different search formulations — simulating how a skilled patent examiner might approach the same question.
This multi-agent approach improves coverage and reduces the risk of blind spots that single-query searches typically have.
How reliable are the results?
FTO Checker is designed to maximise coverage and relevance. However, no automated tool — and no manual search — can guarantee 100% completeness. Some patents use unexpected terminology or broad claims that require legal interpretation.
Our system is continuously tested and improved in collaboration with IP professionals who use FTO Checker in their daily practice and provide feedback on result quality. For decisions with significant legal or financial stakes, we recommend using FTO Checker as a starting point and consulting qualified counsel for a definitive opinion.
Why should I trust AI for this kind of analysis?
AI doesn't replace expert judgment — but it dramatically improves the speed and breadth of initial screening. Traditional searches rely on a single analyst formulating queries manually, which is inherently limited by that person's knowledge and time.
FTO Checker runs multiple parallel search strategies in seconds, across patent, scientific, and market data. The result is a broader, more systematic first pass — giving you and your advisors a stronger foundation to work from.
Privacy and confidentiality
Is my technology description kept confidential?
Yes. Your invention or technology description is never stored, reused, or shared. We do not train AI models on your input. Once the report is generated, the input data is automatically deleted.
We are GDPR-compliant and work with ISO/IEC 27001-certified infrastructure providers. For added security, you can use a generalised or redacted description of your technology.
Is there a human in the loop?
FTO Checker is fully automated — no human sees your technology description or your report. However, we work closely with experienced IP professionals to continuously improve result quality and ranking accuracy.
Their feedback helps us refine the system, but your individual submissions remain private and are never reviewed unless you explicitly choose to share them.