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ARTICLE · 10 AUGUST 2015

Google's "FFF" Patent Plan: Find It, Fight It, And Get It For Free

McCarthy Tétrault
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The new "Google Patents" search tool focuses on the improvement and expansion of prior-art searches.

CanadaIntellectual Property
Fiona Legere
Fiona Legere
Marissa Caldwell
Marissa Caldwell
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Recently, Google has announced two new patent-related initiatives. The first being the overhaul of Google Patents, a search tool of existing patent databases, and the second being the launch of the Google Patent Starter Program, giving away patents for free.

These two initiatives build on Google's effort to impact patent reform in the United States and beyond. Prior to these announcements, Google's efforts included the launch of the Patent Purchase Promotion in April (which we discussed here). Google has not officially released any information on the outcome of the Patent Purchase Promotion but Kurt Brasch, a lawyer at Google, reported that the program was a big success. In a phone interview with Fortune.com Mr. Brasch stated that the company bought numerous patents at purchase prices ranging from $3000 to $250,000.

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