Novelty Search and Patent Surveillance Department R & D is based on in-depth knowledge of what others have already discovered and taught in a technological field. Such teachings are gathered in collections of documents (mostly patents) available in the main European languages (English, German, French, Italian). Modiano's Search and Surveillance Department is staffed by mechanical, chemical and electronic engineers, having various native languages, operating partly in Munich, Germany, and partly in our other offices. Munich is home to the European Patent Office (EPO) with its impressive patent library, and to two scientific patent and non-patent libraries ranking at the top level throughout the world, located in the German Patentamt and in the Deutsches Museum (German Museum of Science and Technology). Our search specialists - who have perfect knowledge of the four main European languages (English, German, French and Italian) and are specialized in browsing throughout all the essential electronic databases - assist the attorneys: the best results are obtained by combining a search through computer-accessible databases, and a manual search through the paper databases of libraries.