Several databases containing information on patents that have been granted internationally may be found on the Internet, e.g. Espacenet, the database of the European Patent Office (EPO), and Patent Scope, the database of the World Intellectual Patent Organisation (WIPO). The EPO's databank, Register Plus, allows examination of the processing of individual cases at the EPO.

Moreover, assistance may be sought from patent authorities and patent agencies that specialise in examining the novelty of inventions by searching databases.