Due Diligence Guides
Practical, source-cited guides to running due diligence on companies and individuals — built by the team behind OpenDD.
IP & ITC WatchITC & Patent Watch: Smart Locks, Wireless Earbuds, and a Prolific Patent Plaintiff Top This Week's Docket
Two active Section 337 investigations target consumer-electronics categories popular with overseas manufacturers, while a Texas-based NPE continues to rack up infringement suits.
Customs EnforcementCBP Ramps Up IP and Trade-Fraud Enforcement: Counterfeit Watches, Fake FIFA Jerseys, and Fraudulent Chinese Imports in the Spotlight
This week's enforcement actions highlight significant counterfeit luxury-goods seizures, World Cup-related knockoffs, and fraudulent import schemes that exporters and importers sho
FundamentalsWhat Is Due Diligence? A Practical Guide for 2026
What due diligence means, the main types (IP, corporate, financial, litigation, sanctions, adverse media), and how to run each using public records.
ComplianceOFAC & Export-Control Screening: A Plain-English Guide
How U.S. restricted-party lists work — SDN, BIS Entity List, Denied Persons, Unverified List, DDTC debarred — and how to screen a counterparty.
Intellectual PropertyThe IP Due Diligence Checklist Every Deal Needs
Patents, trademarks, copyrights, domains and open source — chain of title, encumbrances, disputes and renewals — what to verify before you sign.
CorporateCorporate Due Diligence: How to Verify a Company
How to run corporate due diligence using SEC EDGAR and public records — legal name, good standing, officers, ownership and corporate family.
FinancialFinancial Due Diligence: How to Read the Numbers
Reading a company's revenue, margins, cash and debt across years of SEC filings — and the red flags to watch for.
LitigationHow to Search U.S. Federal Court Records
Searching federal litigation — PACER, the free CourtListener/RECAP archive, nature-of-suit codes, and how to read what you find.
ComplianceAdverse Media Screening: How to Do It Right
How to run adverse-media screening without drowning in noise, and grade findings by seriousness so one bad headline doesn't distort the picture.
ComplianceRegulatory Enforcement Due Diligence: A Guide
Checking a company's enforcement history across US and international regulators — and why it differs from adverse media.
ComplianceLicense Due Diligence: Required vs. Held
Identify the licenses a business must hold, check what it actually holds across registries and disclosures, and flag the gaps.
Vendor RiskThird-Party & Vendor Due Diligence Checklist
A checklist for vendor due diligence — corporate standing, financials, security, privacy, sanctions and enforcement — before you onboard.
Information SecuritySOC 2 vs ISO 27001: What Each Really Tells You
What each certification actually proves, how they differ, and how to read them when assessing a vendor's security.
PrivacyPrivacy Due Diligence: GDPR & CCPA Signals
Assessing a company's privacy posture — legal bases, data-subject rights, transfers and cookie consent under GDPR and CCPA.
AI SafetyAI Governance Due Diligence: What to Look For
Assessing responsible-AI posture — governance, transparency and safety testing against NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001 and the EU AI Act.