{"id":943,"date":"2026-01-09T13:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/?page_id=943"},"modified":"2026-10-12T12:20:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:20:06","slug":"terms-of-service-legal-disclaminer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/?page_id=943","title":{"rendered":"Terms of Service &amp; Technical Practice Disclaimer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Scope of Technical Research Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>InfoTree&#x2122; provides specialized, high-precision technical patent research and information retrieval services. These services encompass the systematic identification, structured retrieval, classification-based analysis, and culling of relevant patent and technical literature based on the technical parameters provided by you (the &#8220;Client&#8221;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With over 30 years of specialized experience, I apply exhaustive, proven search methodologies to uncover prior art references. My value proposition is straightforward and focused: <strong>to deliver rigorous technical intelligence and prior art discovery<\/strong>, which you or your legal counsel can utilize to evaluate patentability, assess risks, formulate prosecution strategies, or conduct litigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Technical Services Only \u2014 No Legal Advice or Patent Prosecution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Client acknowledges, understands, and agrees to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Non-Legal Capacity:<\/strong> I operate exclusively as an independent patent search specialist and technical researcher. I am not a registered patent agent or a licensed patent attorney.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No Legal Opinions:<\/strong> All reports, summaries, annotations, and communications provided by InfoTree&#x2122; are strictly for technical, informational, and research purposes. InfoTree&#x2122; does not provide legal advice or legal opinions regarding patentability, novelty, non-obviousness\/inventive step, freedom-to-operate (FTO), validity, or patent infringement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No Prosecution or Representation:<\/strong> InfoTree&#x2122; does not draft patent applications or claims, file documents with patent offices, or represent clients before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO), or any other regulatory authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Independent Legal Review:<\/strong> The Client is strongly advised to have all InfoTree&#x2122; search reports and technical deliverables reviewed by a qualified, registered patent agent or patent attorney to evaluate legal implications, claim scopes, and prosecution strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Inherent Limitations of Prior Art Searches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While I leverage decades of deep-indexing expertise and industry-standard commercial patent databases, every prior art search is subject to inherent industry limitations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unpublished Art:<\/strong> Patent applications worldwide remain confidential and unpublished for up to 18 months from their earliest priority date. No search can identify pending, unpublished applications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Database &amp; Indexing Boundaries:<\/strong> Searches are subject to database date coverage, optical character recognition (OCR) anomalies in historical documents, international translation nuances, and classification discrepancies within national patent offices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No Absolute Guarantee:<\/strong> A search report represents an exhaustive, professional investigation based on agreed parameters, but does not constitute an absolute guarantee that every existing piece of relevant prior art has been located.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scope Inclusions:<\/strong> Quotations cover patent literature by default. Non-Patent Literature (NPL) searching, manual industry reviews, or specialized deep-web queries can be integrated for an additional scope fee and adjusted turnaround time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Exclusions:<\/strong> InfoTree&#x2122; does not conduct trademark, industrial design, or copyright searches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Professional Retainer &amp; Billing Structures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fixed-Scope Projects<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Initial Retainer:<\/strong> A 50% upfront retainer is required prior to project commencement to schedule search time and confirm engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Final Balance:<\/strong> The remaining 50% balance is due upon electronic delivery of the final search report and reference package.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Multi-File or Phased Engagements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For complex files or simultaneous search requests involving extended research commitments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Initial Retainer:<\/strong> 50% of the total estimated fee before project launch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Progressive \/ Milestone Invoicing:<\/strong> Billed at designated project milestones or upon the sequential completion of defined search phases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Final Balance:<\/strong> Remaining balance due upon delivery of the final deliverable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fluid-Scope or Hourly Engagements (Evergreen Retainer)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For open-ended inquiries, complex invalidity defense support, or dynamic search scopes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Initial Retainer Deposit:<\/strong> $3,000.00 CAD payable prior to commencement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Drawdown &amp; Replenishment:<\/strong> Professional fees are drawn down against this retainer at my standard hourly rate as work progresses. When the retainer balance drops below $1,000.00 CAD, the Client agrees to replenish (&#8220;top up&#8221;) the account to continue research uninterrupted. Any unused retainer balance upon project completion is promptly refunded.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Direct Disbursements:<\/strong> The retainer covers professional research time. Specialized commercial database transaction surcharges, official document acquisition fees, or physical courier costs are billed as disbursements at direct cost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Clear boundaries, rigorous standards, and total confidentiality on every file.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Todd F. Mayson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phone: <a href=\"tel:17804331920\">(780) 433-1920<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Email: i<a href=\"mailto:nfotree@shaw.ca\">nfotree@shaw.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. Scope of Technical Research Services InfoTree&#x2122; provides specialized, high-precision technical patent research and information retrieval services. These services encompass the systematic identification, structured retrieval, classification-based analysis, and culling of relevant patent and technical literature based on the technical parameters provided by you (the &#8220;Client&#8221;). With over 30 years of specialized experience, I apply exhaustive, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-943","page","type-page","status-publish","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=943"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1055,"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/943\/revisions\/1055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/infotree.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}