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?
Each FTO Checker report combines market intelligence and patent analysis in a single structured brief: SWOT analysis, competitive landscape, funding activity, regulatory snapshot, ranked patents with AI-generated relevance justifications, scientific publications, and a full patent dataset export.
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?
FTO Checker combines patent data with market intelligence, scientific publications, funding activity, and competitive analysis into a single structured brief — unlike patent search tools such as Google Patents or Espacenet, which return raw patent lists without context or interpretation. Reports are delivered in under 90 seconds for $24.95.
Most patent search tools let you query keywords and browse results, but interpreting those results is left entirely to you. FTO Checker goes further: it cross-references multiple data sources and delivers a structured analysis that helps you understand the landscape around a technology — not just the patents themselves.
Can FTO Checker replace a full legal FTO or patentability opinion?
No. FTO Checker is a screening and intelligence tool, not a substitute for a legal FTO opinion from a qualified patent attorney. It helps identify relevant patents and understand the competitive context before engaging legal counsel — saving time and focusing attorney work where it matters most.
A legal FTO opinion requires claim-by-claim analysis by a qualified attorney and carries legal weight that no automated tool can provide. Many of our users — including patent attorneys — use FTO Checker as a structured starting point to save time and focus their analysis.
Who is FTO Checker for?
FTO Checker is used by business angels and micro-VCs screening deal flow, startup founders preparing to raise or validating ideas, corporate innovation teams evaluating technologies, technology transfer offices assessing inventions, and patent attorneys looking for a fast first assessment before deeper analysis.
See our Use Cases page for details.
How much does FTO Checker cost?
A single FTO Checker report costs $24.95 — a fraction of the $5,000–15,000 typically charged for traditional patent landscape analyses or FTO studies. Volume packs are available for organisations running multiple reports. No subscription required.
What jurisdictions does FTO Checker cover?
FTO Checker searches patent databases covering over 100 jurisdictions worldwide, including the European Patent Office (EPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), WIPO, and major national offices. You select your target jurisdictions when generating a report.
Reports and pricing
What are the different report tiers?
FTO Checker offers three tiers: a free report for a first look at the landscape, Market Scout for a comprehensive market and IP brief, and IP Deep Dive for detailed claim-level patent analysis with element mapping — designed for closer IP scrutiny or sharing with patent counsel.
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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 patent databases covering 100+ jurisdictions, scientific publication databases, public market intelligence sources, and investment and deals data. Each report cross-references these sources to build a multi-dimensional view of the landscape around a technology.
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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?
FTO Checker uses multiple AI agents to rephrase your technology description into different search formulations — simulating how a skilled patent examiner would approach the same question. This multi-agent approach improves coverage and reduces the blind spots that single-query searches typically have.
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: each description is reformulated multiple ways to maximise the chances of surfacing relevant prior art across different terminology conventions.
How reliable are the results?
FTO Checker is designed to maximise coverage and relevance, but no search tool — automated or manual — 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 description is never stored, reused, or shared. FTO Checker does not train AI models on user input. Once the report is generated, input data is automatically deleted. The platform is GDPR-compliant and uses ISO/IEC 27001-certified infrastructure based in the European Union.
For added security, you can use a generalised or redacted description of your technology.
Is there a human in the loop?
No. 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.