IP Enforcement
Identify potential patent infringement and generate technical evidence to support enforcement actions and patent litigation.
Product Teardown Services
From IC-level hardware analysis to software reverse engineering, our product teardown services provide you with actionable IP intelligence for patent enforcement, licensing, and litigation.
What is a product teardown?
A product teardown is a systematic process of disassembling a physical product (smartphones, IoT devices, routers, etc) to reveal internal components, design architecture, and software implementation.
In the context of intellectual property and patent analysis, product teardowns are used to:
In the context of IP and patent analysis, product teardowns are used to break down integrated circuits (ICs), chipsets, firmware, and software, and trace these components back to relevant patents or portfolios, uncover standard-compliant elements for SEP Standard Essential Patents mapping, and provide technical evidence of use to support patent litigation, enforcement, and licensing.
Product Teardown Use Cases
We support clients across the full IP lifecycle, from initial enforcement investigations to competitive intelligence and R&D strategy.
Get in touchProduct Teardown Services
X-Ray Inspection and Imaging
Inspection using high-resolution 2D/3D X-ray imaging to reveal internal PCB layers, solder joints, component placement, and die interconnects.
See capabilities
3D CT X-Ray
STEM IMAGING
Optical Microscopy
Scanning Electron Microscopy
3D Microscopy
3D CT X-Ray
STEM IMAGING
Optical Microscopy
Scanning Electron Microscopy
3D Microscopy
Sample Preparation & Decapsulation
Access to internal chip structures; preparation of cross-sections and surfaces for compositional and microscopic examination.
Chemical Decapsulation
Laser Decapsulation
Sputter Coating
Precision Cutting
Hybrid Ion Milling
Material and Composition Analysis
Identify material composition of plastics, coatings, metals, and semiconductors that match protected formulations or manufacturing methods.
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
FTIR Spectroscopy
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
EDX Spectroscopy
Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD)
Software & Firmware Reverse Engineering
Reveal hidden software functionality. Identify implementation of patented methods, algorithms, control systems, communication protocols, and sensor-processing logic.
Firmware Extraction
Functional Logic Annotation
Decompilation
Source Reconstruction
Control Flow Graph Mapping
Protocol Analysis
Don’t see the services you need?
Contact us to get a customized product teardown strategy.
What our clients are saying
“The first search Parola Analytics, Inc. performed for us provided the key reference supporting our invalidity position on a patent we were evaluating.”
Sean M. Dean, Ph.D.
Fish & Richardson
"Parola analysts uncovered prior art that even opposing counsel’s team could not during litigation.
The quality of their work and deeper understanding of the subject matter were instrumental to the case that we eventually won.”
Saqib J. Siddiqui
Mayer Brown
“Vincent and his team at Parola are excellent at locating prior art. We have worked with Parola on two matters, and both times, Parola delivered outstanding results. Parola’s highly-relevant search results and reports demonstrated a thorough understanding of the patent claims.”
Daniel Kiang
Knobbe Martens
“Vincent Violago and his excellent team at Parola Analytics provide high quality, detailed, prior art search results with minimal oversight and handholding.
These guys are highly educated and experienced in their field and work together with great efficiency. The work product is top-notch, and they are always available for follow up, including detailed discussions of the report and additional pinpoint searches based on the results.
I highly recommend Vincent and his team.”
James A. “Tripp” Fussell III
Mayer Brown
“The team at Parola Analytics did an excellent job in providing us with the highest-quality prior art research service.
The team’s search report highlighted the best prior art references with an easy-to-understand format. In short, the team proved itself.”
Ryan Phelan
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
“I recently engaged Parola Analytics to conduct a prior art search on a difficult US patent that had already stymied another search firm that delivered two unusable references.
Parola found four much better references in two weeks that demonstrated a deeper understanding of the search and an effective selection of the best references.
I highly recommend Parola Analytics.”
Barry Shelton
Shelton Coburn
“Parola Analytics is our trusted partner for prior art search contests on PATROLL, Unified Patent’s crowdsourcing platform.
With their expertise in prior art searching, Vincent and his team at Parola Analytics are valuable partners in reviewing prior art submissions to our contests.
Parola Analytics provides broad knowledge across various subject-matters and offers competitive pricing.
They are easy to work with and are responsive to our needs.”
Sam Jaffna
Unified Patents
“In just weeks, our investments in our relationship with Parola Analytics started to pay handsome dividends.
Parola Analytics identified a patent filed by researchers at Yale that showed promise as a vaccine against malaria. Our article, authored by Monisha Ravisetti, was publicized in hundreds of newspapers and magazines worldwide and quoted thousands of times on social media.
Parola’s flexibility proved invaluable for a startup company like ours, and the reasonable fee structures allowed us to invest in the relationship with confidence.
Marius Meland
Founder, Law360
CEO and Founder, Fastinform
“Parola Analytics has consistently provided excellent search results coupled with an easy to navigate and detailed search report. Parola’s responsiveness and communication are exceptional.
I highly recommend Parola.”
Chris Hadley
Jones Waldo
“Parola Analytics is an outstanding resource for our boutique intellectual property firm.
Patentability searches are the first step for new patent clients. Vincent and his team take care of this crucial step, and provide us with high-quality and comprehensive search reports. The search reports provide our clients with a clear visual representation of the state-of-the-art and make our counseling even more impactful.
Our patent practice is enhanced by Parola Analytics’ search capabilities, and our favorite find is Parola Analytics.”
Justin H. Cross
HamiltonCross LLP
“Parola Analytics was able to quickly provide us with a key prior art reference despite other search vendors failing to find anything useful.
Parola’s thorough search report also provided detailed analysis and allowed us to easily assess the viability of the references and efficiently create invalidity contentions.
Would highly recommend.”
Luc Dahlin
Goodwin Procter
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Parola Analytics. Vincent Violago is very responsive and professional. He answers all your questions and ensures the right person does the search. The patentability report provided is very visually pleasing and easy to follow.
The searcher (who is a PhD chemist and registered US Patent Agent) took great care to understand the claim language of a biotech invention prior to doing the search. A very thorough search was done in a timely and efficient manner. I highly recommend Parola Analytics for patentability searches.”
Imtiaz Billah
Torrey Pines Law Group PC
“Parola Analytics is the perfect fit for us, start-ups. They offered us the flexibility we needed for our unique needs. We received high quality results fast at competitive prices.”
Alfredo Carranza
i6 Technology
For small IP firms looking for a reliable patent research partner, Parola is the perfect choice. Parola Analytics has consistently delivered high-quality results in the various patentability and design patentability projects we have worked on. They have a very collaborative and hands-on approach to each project. The researchers have vast experience and IP knowledge which allows me to get results well-aligned with my specifications.
Tom Tatonetti
Tatonetti IP
Parola Analytics delivered an exceptionally thorough and well-organized work product, tailored to the specific needs and requirements of my project. It is the best prior art search I have received across my nine issued patents.
Mike Weaver
Intrinsic Marks
Dig Deeper
Product Teardown Resources
USE CASES
Patent Infringement Validation
Explore how Evidence of Use searches support patent enforcement, licensing, due diligence, and competitive intelligence initiatives.
SERVICE
Product Teardown
Discover how product teardowns uncover technical details that may not be apparent from public documentation alone.
Service
Software & Firmware Reverse Engineering
Learn how software and firmware analysis can reveal technology implementation and provide deeper evidence for patent investigations
Guides
Teardown Strategies in Hardware IP Disputes
Understand the product teardown process, common use cases, and how teardown findings can support IP and competitive intelligence efforts.
Product Teardown & Reverse Engineering FAQs
What is a product teardown?
A product teardown, also called reverse-engineering, involves the disassembling of a physical product to examine its internal components and structure. In patents and intellectual property, teardowns help identify components linked to specific technologies and patent claims to assess infringement.
Who uses product teardown services?
Our clients mainly include IP professionals: patent litigation teams, IP professionals involved in patent enforcement, licensing, due diligence, R&D and strategy teams, and other technology-focused professionals.
Can product teardowns identify patent infringement?
Yes. By reverse engineering a product, we can identify the features that read on or infringe upon the given patent claims.
Results of product teardown can provide evidence that a product uses or infringes upon patented technology. We help clients build claim charts, identify infringing elements, and support infringement or non-infringement opinions with technical evidence.
How do teardowns support licensing negotiations?
A teardown can provide proof that a product uses certain patented features or standards, helping licensors demonstrate use or assess value. This evidence can help support royalty discussions or SEP-related licensing.
What types of products can be analyzed through teardown?
We specialize in teardowns of electronic devices: smartphones, routers, wearables, IoT devices, and chipsets. We also handle custom requests on specific technology areas.
Do you provide patent-to-product mapping with claim charts?
Yes. Our team provides detailed claim charts with high-resolution imaging, mapping the elements uncovered in the teardown to the patent claims provided.
What does a typical teardown engagement include?
Our product teardown may cover the entire process, from product sourcing to patent claims mapping. This is an overview of a typical teardown process with Parola Analytics:
- Inquiry and Scope Discussion
- Device acquisition. The client may provide the device or product. Parola may also source the device, subject to import and export restrictions.
- Initial assessment. The initial assessment may involve our analysis of the patent claims, a preliminary scanning or X-ray imaging of the device to devise a teardown plan.
- Product disassembly, high resolution imaging
- Component-level or system-level analysis
- Mapping elements to patents-at-issue or standards
- Final report that can be customized to your requirements
How do you ensure confidentiality and compliance in your teardowns?
We maintain strict confidentiality protocols and do not teardown products with known export control issues. We honor client NDAs (subject to a fair review), and internal access is restricted to authorized analysts.
Can I request a custom teardown and analysis?
Yes. We customize each teardown project based on specific technical features of the products that you wish to investigate. Submit your inquiry through our contact form below.
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Book a free consultation or send us a message.
Book a free consultation or send us a message.