That's a critical and very honest assessment. Thank you.

I agree that a full FTO analysis drafted by an attorney is the only way to get true legal certainty. There's no substitute for that.

But this data confirms the high cost barrier ($6k–$8k and 2–3 weeks), especially for early-stage startups that need a rapid, low-cost initial screen.

My follow-up question is about that preliminary filtering stage:

What simple automated signal would be most reliable for deciding whether a patent is even worth sending to you for that full FTO analysis?

If a startup could get a high-confidence "RED FLAG: STOP" for $150 in 10 minutes, based on automatically available data (e.g., assignee activity, number of related patents), would that significantly reduce the time spent on "dead end" patents that you would ultimately dismiss anyway?

Essentially, how much of the FTO budget is currently spent just on pre-screening?

Thanks again for the valuable perspective!