Patent services
From search to monitoring and maintenance
Our patent attorneys help you in every aspect of securing and protecting your patent. From search and application to monitoring and, where possible, renewal.
You can count on our experts for the following services:
IP-scan
An IP Scan is a half‑day session in which we help your company to identify its intellectual property. By talking directly to your innovation teams, researchers, inventors, designers and marketing specialists, we assess which inventions, trademarks and designs can be protected. At the same time, we discuss the possibilities for targeted innovation and development. Our experienced team guides you through the process and provides strategic advice to maximise the value of your intellectual property.
Prior Art or a Novelty Search
When a client comes to Oryon with a new innovation, it can be useful to carry out a preliminary search. A preliminary search looks for existing prior art. This relates to publicly available (patent) documents that may call into question the novelty or inventive step of the invention.
A patent can only be granted if the innovation is both new and inventive. A preliminary search maps the relevant prior art. We clearly define the novel and inventive aspects of the innovation. This helps us draw up a ‘stronger’ patent with a higher likelihood of being granted.
Invalidity search
This is a variant of a Novelty Search. We look for prior art relating to a specific patent you wish to have declared invalid. This is often necessary when a patent gets “in the way” for a client, for example when an FTO search has found a patent that poses a problem.
Prior art consists of relevant publicly available (patent) documents that may call into question the novelty or inventive step of the invention and can therefore invalidate a patent. This requires searching patent databases for published patent documents relating to the patent in question with a publication date before the patent’s filing date. Using patent classifications and search terms, we draw up search queries to compile a list of potentially relevant patent documents. Based on the results, an invalidity claim may be brought before the court or opposition proceedings may be instituted before the European Patent Office.
Freedom-To-Operate (FTO)
This is a search to determine whether your company risks infringing on patent claims of third parties and whether you are allowed to commercialise a product or method. An FTO search is always conducted for a specific country or group of countries, more specifically the countries where the commercialisation will take place. An FTO search helps to prevent legal disputes and guarantees a successful market introduction and operation of innovations. You can count on our experts to anticipate potential infringements.
Opstellen octrooiaanvraag
The drafting of a patent text must be done according to strict rules regarding language and form.
This results in a legal document with as most important component the claims that determine the scope of protection of the invention.
Poorly formulated claims can lead to insufficient protection or make it easy for competitors to circumvent them.
The core of the invention is sharply defined in close consultation with the inventor.
Based on this, strong claims are then drafted with an optimal combination of scope of protection and probability of success.
Your patent attorney ensures the right balance: sufficiently broad protection, but not so broad that the chance of granting decreases.
Annual renewal fees
In Belgium, you pay annual renewal fees to keep a patent in force, starting from the third year up to a maximum of 20 years after filing. For an EU patent, fees are payable to the European Patent Office which increase over time.
Annual renewal fees in Belgium:
A Belgian patent remains valid for 20 years, provided the annual renewal fees are paid on time. These fees must be paid annually to the Belgian Office for Intellectual Property (via the FPS Economy).
EU patents:
For European “unitary patents”, you pay a single uniform fee to the European Patent Office, with the amount rising over time.
Failure to pay annual renewal fees results in the patent lapsing. It is therefore advisable to appoint a patent attorney to handle the administrative follow‑up and payments.
National/Local:
Depending on the countries where your patent is in force, you may also need to pay local renewal fees to maintain the protection.
IP valuation
A valuation of your patent portfolio can be useful for strategic, legal and financial reasons. This can be important in the context of mergers and acquisitions, investments, take-overs, strategic management or licence agreements and technology transfer.
Patent landscaping
Patent landscaping analyses the ‘patent activity’ surrounding a particular technology: which companies are filing patents, which topics attract most innovation, in which countries are patents primarily being applied for and have many new patents been filed in recent years, etc.
Patent landscaping provides an insight into trends and developments within a specific field of expertise or a specific technology and can serve as a source of inspiration. It provides a strategic insight into your competitors’ activities in terms of innovation and intellectual property. Patent landscaping helps you to identify growth potential and assess the financial value of your patent rights.
Tax advice
Advice on financing and tax benifits.
Legal advice
Assistance in disputes regarding counterfeiting and opposition
Discuss your innovations with a patent attorney
We support you, from search to monitoring and maintenance
News, client cases
and articles
IP firms Bockstael and IPLodge join forces as Oryon
Antwerp/Leuven, April 2, 2026 – Bockstael and IPLodge, two firms specializing in intellectual property, are joining forces under a new name: Oryon. The name launch is...
GE HealthCare announces intent to acquire icometrix
Exciting news from our friends at icometrix! It is a privilege to follow their journey GE HealthCare announces its intention to acquire icometrix to strengthen its...
Archimedes Patents and Bureau De Rycker are part of Oryon
Archimedes Patents and Bureau De Rycker, two well-established names in intellectual property, had previously joined forces with Bureau MFJ Bockstael and are now part of...
Op elke IE-vraag een helder antwoord
What is an Intellectual Property (IP) Scan?
An IP Scan is a half‑day session in which we help your company to identify its intellectual property. By talking directly to your innovation teams, researchers, inventors, designers and marketing specialists, we assess which inventions, trademarks and designs can be protected. At the same time, we discuss the possibilities for targeted innovation and development. Our experienced team guides you through the process and provides strategic advice to maximise the value of your intellectual property.
What is a novelty search?
This is a variant of a Novelty Search. We look for prior art relating to a specific patent you wish to have declared invalid.
This is often necessary when a patent gets “in the way” for a client, for example when an FTO search has found a patent that poses a problem.
Prior art consists of relevant publicly available (patent) documents that may call into question the novelty or inventive step of the invention and can therefore invalidate a patent. This requires searching patent databases for published patent documents relating to the patent in question with a publication date before the patent’s filing date. Using patent classifications and search terms, we draw up search queries to compile a list of potentially relevant patent documents. Based on the results, an invalidity claim may be brought before the court or opposition proceedings may be instituted before the European Patent Office.
What is a Freedom-To-Operate search?
This is a search to determine whether your company risks infringing on patent claims of third parties and whether you are allowed to commercialise a product or method. An FTO search is always conducted for a specific country or group of countries, more specifically the countries where the commercialisation will take place. An FTO search helps to prevent legal disputes and guarantees a successful market introduction and operation of innovations. You can count on our experts to anticipate potential infringements.
Do I need to pay annual renewal fees for a patent?
In Belgium, you pay annual renewal fees to keep a patent in force, starting from the third year up to a maximum of 20 years after filing. For an EU patent, fees are payable to the European Patent Office which increase over time.
Annual renewal fees in Belgium:
A Belgian patent remains valid for 20 years, provided the annual renewal fees are paid on time. These fees must be paid annually to the Belgian Office for Intellectual Property (via the FPS Economy).
EU patents:
For European “unitary patents”, you pay a single uniform fee to the European Patent Office, with the amount rising over time.
Failure to pay annual renewal fees results in the patent lapsing. It is therefore advisable to appoint a patent attorney to handle the administrative follow‑up and payments.
National/Local:
Depending on the countries where your patent is in force, you may also need to pay local renewal fees to maintain the protection.