Freedom to Operate Analysis of Molecular Farming Projects

Academic scientists are increasingly engaged in translational research oriented toward bringing products and processes to commercial markets. They need to diligently analyze the intellectual property (IP) rights of others to avoid infringement, and use their own IP strategically. For this it is useful to perform a freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis which includes searching the prior art and patent databases. This chapter outlines the principles of FTO analysis with a special focus on plant biotechnology.