""When founders take time to conduct Freedom to Operate, they're not just protecting themselves; they're showing respect for the inventors who paved the way." Every November, we gather around tables filled with the fruits of hard work and gratitude. It's a season that reminds us to pause and appreciate not only what we've built, but also the unseen effort and foresight that made it possible. In innovation, that same kind of gratitude is found in something often overlooked but profoundly important: Freedom to Operate (FTO)."
"FTO is the process of determining whether your product or technology can be made, used, or sold without infringing on someone else's active intellectual property rights. It's not about whether you can get a patent. It's about whether you can commercialize safely without stepping into another inventor's territory. Think of it as the legal equivalent of looking both ways before crossing the street. You may have the right to move forward, but that doesn't mean the road is clear."
"Without an FTO analysis, even the most innovative idea can be derailed by a single, broad patent you never saw coming. I've seen founders pour years of work and investment into an invention, only to discover at the eleventh hour that someone else's earlier patent blocks them. It's a heartbreak that could have been avoided with foresight-and a little gratitude for those who came before."
Freedom to Operate (FTO) determines whether a product or technology can be made, used, or sold without infringing active intellectual property rights. It is distinct from obtaining a patent; patent-pending status does not guarantee the right to commercialize. FTO acts as a legal check to avoid stepping into another inventor's territory and is comparable to looking both ways before crossing a street. Skipping FTO can allow a single broad patent to derail years of work and investment, triggering cease-and-desist actions. Founders who neglect FTO may be forced to divert time, money, and emotional energy into legal defense instead of scaling the business.
Read at IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law
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