# Prior art search and novelty assessment

Source: https://luatbanquyen.com/en/services/patent-prior-art-search · Updated: 2026-08-28

Finds technical solutions disclosed before your priority date and assesses whether your solution is still novel and inventive.

A patent application takes years and significant money to complete substantive examination. Knowing in advance which references block you determines the decision: file, narrow the claims, switch to a utility solution, or keep it as a trade secret.

- **Who may perform this:** Industrial property representative with expertise in the relevant technical field
- **Timeline:** Typically 7–15 working days depending on the technical field
- **How pricing works:** Quoted by technical field and the range of databases to be searched.

## Deliverables

- A list of the closest references with an overlap analysis
- An opinion on novelty and inventive step
- A recommendation — file, narrow the scope, or choose another form of protection

## What you provide

- A technical description of the solution, as specific as possible
- Drawings, diagrams, test results (if any)
- Where and when the solution has already been disclosed

[Filing a patent or utility solution application](/en/procedures/register-a-patent)

## Contents

- [Patents and utility solutions](/en/industrial-property/patents-and-utility-solutions)
- [Trade secrets, trade names, geographical indications and layout designs](/en/industrial-property/trade-secrets-and-other-subject-matter)

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Reference material only; it does not replace legal advice on a specific matter.