What should I check in the contract?
Read the indemnity grant, any separate duty to defend, notice procedure, exclusions, financial caps, and who controls counsel and settlement. Compare those terms with the patent claim and the actual product version. Treat this as a coverage checklist, not a conclusion that the supplier must pay.
Does buying a product automatically provide protection?
Do not assume that every purchase carries the same protection. For example, New York U.C.C. 2-312(3) sets a default infringement warranty for certain merchant sales unless the parties agree otherwise, and addresses claims arising from buyer-supplied specifications. That is a New York sales-law rule; the contract and applicable law must be checked for your transaction.
What happens while coverage is disputed?
Send the notice required by the contract and keep track of your own court deadlines. A supplier discussion does not itself change those deadlines. Rule 14 permits certain third-party claims for liability over to a defendant, but it does not create an indemnity right that the contract or applicable law does not provide.