AutoPatent search results now support filtering by legal status
2026-07-11
← Back to NewsPatent search results now include legal status filters. You can toggle between active patents (granted and in force), expired patents (lapsed due to non-payment or term expiration), and pending applications. This sounds like a small filter, but in practice it changes how you read search results. An expired patent is not a threat to your application. It is prior art at best, and knowing it is dead lets you focus on the live references that actually matter. The filter works across all 17 supported jurisdictions with daily status updates from each patent office.