Case Study

Forensic Pathways is a company based in the United Kingdom and Australia that specializes in mobile$-$phone forensic software. The software is for police and security services. The company conducted market research on revolutionary technology to search large stores of data from mobile phones. It found that there was a need for its proposed software, which would likely result in substantial sales. As a result, the company invested time and money in developing the Forensic Phone Analyzer. The computer technology behind this product was so revolutionary that the company kept electronic information on the project on secure servers and networks. Only a handful of trusted employees were fully informed of the project details. The company also searched the Intellectual Property Office's website to ensure no other patent was pending for technology similar to what it was about to develop.

Source E: Protecting the marketing mix through intellectual property rights. $(2009,$ October $29).$ Business Case Studies.

For Forensic Pathways to be considered to have a first$-$mover advantage, which of the following describes the most likely result of its search of the Intellectual Property Office's website? $$

A patent for similar technology did exist, but the product made by Forensic Pathways would be a more expensive option.

Patents existed for software similar to what it was developing, but luckily, they had expired.

No other company had a patent on software that was similar to the software it was developing.