Terms

These terms cover your use of examinersearch.com. They do not govern paid engagement work — that is covered by a separate Statement of Work (SOW) and Master Services Agreement (MSA) that you sign before an engagement begins.

Site purpose

This site is informational. Nothing on it is legal advice, financial advice, a binding offer of services, or a warranty of any result. Content may describe services, pricing ranges, and past work, but actual scope, price, and terms for a given client are defined only in a signed SOW.

Preliminary searches ($99)

A preliminary search is an automated prior-art sweep on one patent and one claim, against the cutoff date you confirm on the order form, delivered by email within 24 hours after a read by a former USPTO patent examiner. It is unsigned, it is not an opinion on validity or invalidity, and it creates no attorney–client relationship. The report states what was searched, what was found and what was not; a thin result is reported as thin and is not refundable on that ground. If a search cannot be delivered, the charge is refunded in full. The fee paid is credited in full, once, against a Case Brief or a signed search (examiner-assisted, focused or full) on the same patent, ordered by the same person or firm within 60 days of payment; a free preliminary search earns no credit. Payment is taken by Stripe at checkout; we do not see or store card details. A preliminary search may be free when that offer is shown on the order page: one per person, and up to five per firm in any 60 days, judged by the email address and its domain. Addresses at public mail providers are counted individually rather than as a firm.

Booking is not a contract

When you book a call through our scheduling page, you have reserved time for a conversation. No engagement, obligation, or service begins at that point. An engagement begins only after both parties have signed an SOW.

Content ownership

The writing, code, graphics, and brand marks on examinersearch.com are owned by Examiner Search. You may quote from or link to the site for fair-use purposes with attribution. Republishing full pages or substantial portions, or using Examiner Search's brand marks in a way that implies endorsement, requires written permission.

Third-party services

This site uses third-party services for hosting (Firebase Hosting / Google Cloud) and call scheduling (Google Calendar Appointment Schedules). Their respective terms of service and privacy policies apply where relevant. Client deliverables produced under an engagement may additionally integrate with the client's chosen LLM providers and infrastructure — those are governed by the engagement's SOW and DPA, not by these terms.

No warranty

The site is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind. We do not warrant uptime, accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. If you spot an error or broken link, we appreciate the heads-up at michael@examinersearch.com.

Limitation of liability

Examiner Search's liability for any claim arising from your use of this site is limited to zero United States dollars. Where Examiner Search provides paid services under a signed engagement, liability is governed by that engagement's MSA — not by these site terms.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Examiner Search is a sole proprietorship operated by Michael W. Smith in Denton County, Texas.

Changes

These terms may change. Material changes will be posted here with a new "last updated" date above.

Contact

Questions about these terms: michael@examinersearch.com.