On 12 August 2026, Chile’s industrial property office (INAPI) and the Ministry of Economy launched a free Chile patent information platform with 148 technology products built from national and international patent documents, covering lithium, green hydrogen, sustainable manufacturing and water technologies. For European energy, mining and cleantech companies entering Chile, it is a useful first map of who patents what. It is not, on its own, a freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis, and this article explains how to use it as the starting point of one.
Key takeaways
- The platform is free and public, and gathers 148 products in 35 thematic lines: 42 technology watch reports, 45 datasets, 30 trend maps and 19 interactive dashboards.
- Lithium and salt flats (49 products) and green hydrogen (22) are among its five main areas.
- It shows trends, applicants and technologies; it does not tell you whether a specific product infringes a patent in force in Chile.
- An FTO opinion still needs a search of the INAPI register, legal status checks and claim-by-claim analysis.
What has INAPI launched?
According to INAPI’s announcement of 12 August 2026, the Patent Technology Information Platform for Sustainable Productive Development is the result of work by INAPI and the Undersecretariat for the Economy and Smaller Enterprises since 2023. It is aimed at companies, start-ups, universities, research centres and public bodies, and it is available on INAPI’s DPS programme website.
| Area | Products | Examples of topics |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable manufacturing | 56 | Industry 4.0 tools, cleaner production processes |
| Lithium and salt flats | 49 | Direct lithium extraction, brine concentration, lithium salt crystallisation, storage systems |
| Green hydrogen and derivatives | 22 | Electrolysers, hydrogen-powered mining vehicles, ammonia fuel cells |
| Climate change and water resources | 18 | Grey water treatment, early detection of algae, early warning of climate disasters |
| Gender gap in industrial property | 3 | Participation of women in the IP system |
INAPI also announced workshops and working groups with regional companies, SMEs, trade associations and universities under its 2026-2030 strategic roadmap.
Can the Chile patent information platform replace an FTO search?
No. A technology watch report or a trend map answers questions such as “who is filing in direct lithium extraction?” or “which countries do electrolyser applicants target?”. The platform’s own FAQ describes its charts in those terms: patent families per applicant, annual filing trends, filing offices and technical fields. An FTO analysis answers a narrower and riskier question: can this product, process or plant be made, used, sold or imported in Chile without infringing a patent in force there?
The difference matters in three ways:
- Landscapes group documents by technology; FTO depends on the exact wording of the claims of each relevant patent.
- A family that appears in a landscape may have no Chilean member, may have lapsed or may still be pending; only the register shows the legal status.
- Reports are dated snapshots. A PCT application can still enter the Chilean national phase up to 30 months from its priority date, according to WIPO’s table of time limits, so recent filings may not yet be visible as Chilean cases.
How to use the platform in an FTO and market-entry project
- Scope the technology. Start with the INAPI report or dashboard closest to your process, for example direct lithium extraction or electrolysers, to identify the main applicants and technical clusters.
- Build the candidate list. Extract the families and applicants that match your product and add your own competitors.
- Check Chile specifically. Search each family in the INAPI patent search database and confirm whether it has a Chilean application or grant and its current status.
- Analyse the claims. A patent attorney compares the independent claims in force with your process or product and assesses design-around options or validity arguments.
- Decide on your own filings. If your technology is new, file before disclosure in Chile; if you already have a European application, Chile’s pilot Patent Prosecution Highway with the EPO (running from 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2027, per the EPO’s PPH page) can help accelerate prosecution.
What this means for your business
For European companies bidding for lithium, hydrogen or water projects in Chile, the platform lowers the cost of the first look: what used to require a paid landscape can now begin with public reports. The legal risk, however, sits in the later steps. Our recommendation is to use the INAPI material to focus the search, and then commission a targeted FTO on the specific process before signing supply or licensing commitments. If you are also licensing technology into Chile, an IP due diligence for Latin American market entry should cover both your freedom to operate and the title of the rights you are acquiring.
When the work spans Chile, other Latin American markets and Europe, our team for patent searches, FTO and filings in Latin America can run it as one project.
When to bring in an adviser
- Relying on a landscape as clearance. A report showing “few Chilean filings” does not mean no blocking patent exists.
- Ignoring pending applications. A PCT application still inside its 30-month window can later mature into a Chilean patent.
- Disclosing before filing. Presenting a new process at a tender or trade fair before filing can destroy novelty for your own application.
- Reading claims without local context. Claim scope and enforcement depend on Chilean law and practice, which local counsel should confirm.
Frequently asked questions
Is INAPI’s patent information platform free?
Yes. INAPI and the Ministry of Economy describe it as a free, publicly accessible tool. It brings together 148 technology information products, including reports, datasets, trend maps and dashboards, built from the analysis of national and international patent documents in areas such as lithium, green hydrogen, sustainable manufacturing and water resources.
Does the platform show whether a patent is in force in Chile?
Not as such. The platform presents technology trends, applicants and fields. To know whether a specific patent or application exists in Chile and what its status is, you need to search INAPI’s patent database and review the file. That step is part of any freedom-to-operate analysis.
Can IP Global Guard carry out an FTO analysis for Chile?
Yes. We scope the technology, use public sources such as the INAPI platform to focus the search, and coordinate qualified local patent counsel in Chile for register checks and claim analysis, together with any related filings in Europe or elsewhere in Latin America, from a single point of contact.
How IP Global Guard can help you enter Chile
Free patent intelligence is a welcome start, but market entry decisions rest on claims, legal status and timing. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, coordinates patent searches, FTO opinions and filings across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa, with one strategy and one billing relationship.
Tell us which technology you plan to deploy in Chile, your timeline and any patents you already hold. We will scope the FTO, coordinate the local review and align your own filings. Contact our patent team about your Chile project.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the situation on its publication date.
