IP Patent & Trademark MCP Server

Intellectual property intelligence — U.S. patents via USPTO PatentsView, European patents via EPO Open Patent Services, and EU trademarks via EUIPO — all accessible via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Connect this server to Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI client and run patent and trademark queries through natural language.

Why use this? Patent landscape analysis requires searching multiple national/regional databases with different APIs, query formats, and classification systems. This MCP server does it in one query — running USPTO and EPO patent searches in parallel, then identifying shared CPC classification codes and common filers across jurisdictions to surface cross-border IP activity.

Available tools

This MCP server exposes 5 intellectual property tools that your AI assistant can call:

Patent search

Tool	Description
ip_us_patents	Search U.S. patents via PatentsView (USPTO). Find patents by keyword, inventor, assignee, CPC code, patent type, and date range. Returns titles, abstracts, inventors, assignees, citation counts, and CPC classifications.
ip_eu_patents	Search European patents via EPO Open Patent Services. Find patents by title, applicant, inventor, publication number, country, and date range. Returns bibliographic data, IPC/CPC classifications, and patent family info.

Trademark search

Tool	Description
ip_eu_trademarks	Search EU trademarks via EUIPO. Find trademarks by verbal element (name), Nice class, status, applicant, mark type, and date range. Returns registration details, goods/services descriptions, and images.

Composite intelligence

Tool	Description
ip_global_patent_search	Composite tool — runs USPTO and EPO patent searches in parallel for a technology keyword. Identifies shared CPC classification codes and common filers across U.S. and European jurisdictions.
ip_list_sources	List all data sources with descriptions and capabilities.

Data sources

Source	Coverage	Update Frequency	Auth Required
USPTO (PatentsView)	12M+ U.S. patents from 1976 to present	Weekly	Yes (free API key)
EPO (Open Patent Services)	130M+ patent documents worldwide	Daily	Yes (free credentials)
EUIPO	2.5M+ EU trademark registrations	Continuously updated	Yes (free credentials)

How to connect

Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ip-patent-trademark": {
            "url": "https://actors-mcp-server.apify.actor/mcp?actorId=ryanclinton/ip-patent-trademark-mcp&token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"
        }
    }
}

Cursor

Add the same URL to your Cursor MCP settings:

https://actors-mcp-server.apify.actor/mcp?actorId=ryanclinton/ip-patent-trademark-mcp&token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN

Direct HTTP

curl -X POST "https://actors-mcp-server.apify.actor/mcp?actorId=ryanclinton/ip-patent-trademark-mcp&token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
        "name": "ip_us_patents",
        "arguments": {
            "keyword": "solid state battery",
            "assignee": "Toyota",
            "max_results": 10,
            "api_key": "YOUR_PATENTSVIEW_KEY"
        }
    },
    "id": 1
  }'

Example conversations

U.S. patent landscape

You: "How many patents does Apple have on LiDAR technology?"

AI: Calls ip_us_patents with keyword="LiDAR", assignee="Apple"

"Found 47 U.S. patents assigned to Apple Inc. related to LiDAR. The most recent is from 2025 covering a 'Compact LiDAR Module for Augmented Reality Devices.' Total citations across all 47 patents: 312. Primary CPC codes are G01S (determining distance/velocity by radar) and G06T (image data processing)."

Cross-jurisdictional patent search

You: "Search for solid-state battery patents filed in both the US and Europe"

AI: Calls ip_global_patent_search with keyword="solid state battery"

"Found 25 U.S. patents and 25 European patents. Cross-jurisdictional analysis: 4 CPC code groups appear in both jurisdictions (H01M for electrochemical energy storage, C01G for inorganic compounds). 3 common filers identified: Samsung SDI, Toyota Motor, and QuantumScape — suggesting these companies are pursuing IP protection in both markets simultaneously."

EU trademark clearance

You: "Is the trademark 'AURORA' registered in the EU for software products?"

AI: Calls ip_eu_trademarks with query="AURORA", nice_class="9,42", status="REGISTERED"

"Found 8 registered EU trademarks for 'AURORA' in Nice classes 9 (software/electronics) and 42 (technology services). Applicants include Aurora Innovation Inc. (autonomous vehicles), Aurora Labs Ltd. (software maintenance), and others. 3 marks are word marks and 5 are figurative marks. Earliest registration dates to 2014."

European patent search

You: "Find recent EPO patents from Siemens on wind turbine technology"

AI: Calls ip_eu_patents with applicant="Siemens", title_keywords="wind turbine", date_from="2024"

"Found 18 European patents from Siemens related to wind turbines published since 2024. Key areas include blade design optimization (F03D), grid integration systems (H02J), and predictive maintenance algorithms (G06N). 4 patents are in the EP-A1 stage (published applications) and 14 are EP-B1 (granted patents)."

Output examples

U.S. patent search

{
    "total": 47,
    "uniqueAssignees": 1,
    "totalCitations": 312,
    "data": [
        {
            "patentId": "US-11860280-B2",
            "patentDate": "2025-01-02",
            "title": "Compact LiDAR Module for Augmented Reality Devices",
            "abstract": "A compact light detection and ranging module...",
            "assignees": "Apple Inc.",
            "inventors": ["Smith, John", "Chen, Wei"],
            "cpcCodes": ["G01S7/4814", "G06T7/521"],
            "citationCount": 12
        }
    ]
}

Cross-jurisdictional patent analysis

{
    "keyword": "solid state battery",
    "sources": ["USPTO (PatentsView)", "EPO (Open Patent Services)"],
    "usPatents": {
        "total": 25,
        "hasData": true
    },
    "euPatents": {
        "total": 25,
        "hasData": true
    },
    "crossJurisdiction": {
        "sharedCpcCodes": ["H01M", "C01G", "H01B", "C04B"],
        "commonFilers": 3,
        "note": "4 CPC code group(s) appear in both US and EU results, suggesting overlapping technology areas"
    }
}

Use cases

• Patent landscape analysis — use ip_global_patent_search to map technology areas across U.S. and European jurisdictions in one query
• Freedom-to-operate studies — search existing patents by CPC code to identify potential blocking patents before product launch
• Competitive intelligence — track competitor patent filings by assignee/applicant name across both USPTO and EPO
• Trademark clearance — search ip_eu_trademarks by Nice class before filing a new EU trademark application
• Technology scouting — find emerging technologies by keyword across patent databases, identifying active filers and trending CPC codes
• IP due diligence — assess a company's patent portfolio strength by assignee search and citation analysis

How it works

The server runs as an Express.js application using the MCP SDK's Streamable HTTP transport. Each incoming request creates a fresh McpServer instance (stateless). When a tool is called:

1. Actor.charge() records usage for pay-per-event billing
2. The tool calls the underlying Apify actor(s) via apify-client
3. Results are filtered, aggregated, and returned as structured JSON
4. The composite ip_global_patent_search tool runs USPTO and EPO actors in parallel via Promise.all, then identifies shared CPC codes and common filers across jurisdictions

Limitations

• All 3 sources require free API credentials — USPTO needs a PatentsView key, EPO needs OPS consumer key/secret, EUIPO needs developer portal credentials. Without them, tools return setup instructions.
• PatentsView covers 1976 to present — earlier U.S. patents are not available through this API
• EPO OPS has rate limits — 10 requests per second with free credentials; the actor handles throttling internally
• EUIPO covers EU trademarks only — national trademarks in individual EU member states are not included
• CPC cross-referencing uses 4-digit prefixes — the composite tool compares CPC codes at the subclass level (e.g., "G06F"), not at the full classification level
• Common filer detection uses fuzzy matching — company names must partially match between USPTO assignee and EPO applicant fields

Combine with other Apify Actors

• USPTO Patent Search — standalone U.S. patent search with full parameter control
• EPO European Patent Search — standalone European patent search with raw CQL query support
• EUIPO EU Trademark Search — standalone EU trademark search with image URLs
• SEC EDGAR Filing Analyzer — cross-reference patent holders with their SEC filings for IP valuation context
• OpenCorporates Search — verify corporate identity of patent assignees across 140+ jurisdictions

Tips for best results

• Use CPC codes for precise technology searches — "G06F" (computing), "H01M" (batteries), "A61K" (pharmaceuticals) are more precise than keywords
• Search by assignee for portfolio analysis — ip_us_patents with assignee="Samsung" returns the full patent portfolio
• Use ip_global_patent_search for competitive landscapes — it automatically identifies cross-border filers
• Filter EUIPO by Nice class — class 9 (software/electronics), 25 (clothing), 35 (business services) are the most common
• Use publication_number for direct EPO lookups — "EP1234567" returns the exact patent without searching
• Sort USPTO results by citations — sort_by="patent_num_us_patents_cited" surfaces the most influential patents

FAQ

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools and data sources. It lets AI applications like Claude Desktop call functions on remote servers — think of it as a standardized plugin system for AI.

Where do I get API credentials?

• PatentsView: Register at patentsview.org/apis — free, instant
• EPO OPS: Register at developers.epo.org — free, requires account approval
• EUIPO: Register at dev.euipo.europa.eu — free developer portal

What's the difference between this and the individual actors?

The standalone actors return raw datasets. This MCP server adds an AI-accessible interface, cross-jurisdictional intelligence (the composite ip_global_patent_search tool), and works through natural language conversation.

How much does each query cost?

Each tool call is billed via Apify's pay-per-event system. Individual tool calls are inexpensive. The composite ip_global_patent_search tool costs more as it runs 2 actors in parallel.

Can I search for design patents?

Yes — ip_us_patents supports patent_type="design" for U.S. design patents. EUIPO trademark search covers figurative marks with images. EPO covers design-adjacent utility patents but not registered community designs.