How often should a startup check freedom to operate?
Reviewed by
Dominic Davies, patent attorney (20+ years)
· Last reviewed
September 11, 2026
Continuously, not once. New applications publish every week, applications stay hidden for 18 months after filing, and pending claims can change during examination, so a one-off search decays quickly. The practical pattern is competitor watchlists running all the time, plus targeted analysis before a launch, pilot, or fundraise.
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