Freedom to operate search is an investigation of patents that can be potentially infringed when product is launched in the market. It covers patents that have been issued or pending patent applications.The Freedom to Operate (FTO) search or a clearance search is performed to identify the companies or the organizations and their respective patents which can obstruct the commercialization of the patent in question in the geography of interest.If there are any obstructing patents, the company can negotiate or in-license the overlapping patented technology before launching the product to avoid infringement later.