Tech-driven solutions for European patent (EP) management are reaping efficiency and cost gains for companies and law firms. In this article, we explore the top five EP portfolio management challenges and the technologies and cost-cutting strategies that can help resolve them, with insights from technology company and patent law firm noventive .
European patent (EP) management doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Thanks to tech-driven solutions, companies and law firms can streamline their processes, cut costs, and improve efficiency.
Our recent webinar ‘ Streamlining European Patent Management: Insights from noventive's Experience with Questel's Digital Solutions' shared how Questel's all-in-one solution enhances accuracy and security while saving time and money. Here we summarize the key points from that discussion—including the five key challenges our solution was developed to address.
Five Administrative and Financial Challenges for EP Portfolio Managers
From translations to payment deadlines, EP management can be a highly administrative, complex, time-consuming, and costly process—especially, if you deal with multiple service providers.
- #1 Time
Estimating, instructing and monitoring deadlines of patent grant formalities, UP filings, UPC opt-outs, EP validations, and annuities is time-consuming. - #2 Cost
The cumulative cost of translations, agent and official fees, and annuity payments can be excessively high. - #3 Complexity
Fragmented workflows and single providers add administrative time and headaches to an already resource-heavy process. - #4 Risk
Manual processes increase the risk of human error and oversights. - #5 Resource Heavy
The overall result is less time to focus on higher-priority or more profitable projects.
By choosing Questel's “one-stop” solution, you will benefit from access to a European patent ‘toolkit' that will support you as you make key decisions across the life cycle of your rights, reducing these five administrative headaches and helping you achieve peace of mind.
How Questel Helps Clients Overcome these EP Management Challenges
By addressing fragmented workflows and manual processes, Questel's end-to-end solution for EP management streamlines processes and reduces costs for IP owners and attorney firms.
What Does Our End-to-End Solution Cover?
Our end-to-end solution combines specialist services and software to deliver optimized processes, transparent pricing, and personalized support at every stage:
—EP Grants
- 71(3) translations into French/German/English
- Grant formalities
—EP Validations
- Translations
- Validations
- Address for service
—Unified Patent Court (UPC)/Unitary Patent
- UPC opt-out service—75,000 opt-outs managed in the Sunrise period alone!
- Unitary patent filings
- Unitary patent translations
—Translations
- Centralized patent translation services
—Patent Renewal/Annuity Management
- Fee and renewal management
To find out more about our services for European patents, including EP grant and validation, UPC/unitary patent support, and patent renewals, set up a meeting with our subject matter experts.
As importantly, our EP solution answers four critical questions IP owners and their legal advisors face when selecting suppliers:
- 1. Service—Am I getting value for money?
- 2. Efficiency—Am I wasting time and resources?
- 3. Fees—Am I clear about what I'm paying for?
- 4. Invoices—How can I get control and check
compliance?
Our approach is structured around two fundamental drivers that directly impact EP management challenges: (1) efficiency & processes and (2) cost. In our experience, these are the primary factors that influence our clients' bottom lines and operational efficiency. That's why we aim to optimize both through our tailored solutions.
How noventive Cut Costs, Saved Time, and Optimized EP Management with Questel
As Alexander Füg, CEO and Co-Founder, and Jens Reinhard, Patent Attorney and Co-Founder, of technology company and patent law firm noventive shared in our webinar on EP management best practices, the IP sector oversees a highly taxing administrative burden of day-to-day IP work. Indeed, an estimated 75% of the effort of IP law firms is accounted for by administrative activities, distracting attorneys from their most valuable tasks: legal advisory work.
Our client noventive saw the opportunity to harness workflow digitalization and service integration to free up its scalable pool of 40+ highly specialized attorneys to focus on value-added tasks for clients, providing direct access to responsible attorney and transparent fixed prices.
“With Questel we have complemented our value chain end-to-end. We focus on substantive legal work and end-to-end process automation. We were looking for a partner with the same digital mindset plus a wide solutions and services portfolio. Questel complements our journey with its specialized IP services portfolio and the same OpenAPI approach.”
The partnership has enabled noventive to optimize 60% of the administrative part and costs, empowering its IP professionals to focus on value creation by automating and digitizing back office, quality assurance, and data exchanges.
Questel and noventive share the vision of transforming IP management through technology-driven innovation and strategic partnerships. By integrating Questel's tech-driven solutions with noventive's fully digitalized workflows, the technology company and patent law firm achieved:
- Streamlined Processes: Reducing administrative complexity and operational burdens.
- Enhanced Efficiency: Enabling teams to focus on high-value, strategic IP activities.
- Cost Optimization: Significant savings through automated processes and competitive service offerings.
- Seamless Integration: Leveraging OpenAPI
for transparent and efficient collaboration.
Discover the full use case from noventive by watching our webinar ‘ Streamlining European Patent Management: Insights from noventive's Experience with Questel's Digital Solutions.'
Did You Know?
According to the European Commission, EP validations account for up to 40% of the total cost of a European patent. By working with Questel, you can implement effective cost-control measures and improve efficiency and oversight for all your EP management tasks.
Ready to Streamline Your European Patent Management Processes?
As global leaders in patent filing, translation, EP validation, and renewals, Questel envisions IP management as a seamlessly integrated process for all kinds of IP rights. Through our commitment to end-to-end services, we enable clients worldwide to manage IP administrative tasks efficiently at every stage.
4 Reasons to Choose Questel's Dedicated EP Services
The world's top applicants and IP law firms rely on Questel's comprehensive solutions and integrated services for IP management tasks to boost service value, build efficiencies, and cut and control costs. Here are 4 reasons why you should join them:
- 1. Extensive Foreign Filing
Expertise
We manage 50,000+ foreign filings per year on behalf of our clients, including PCT International Phase, PCT National Phase, Paris Convention/Direct Filings, Utility Model/Design Filings, UP Filings, and EP Validations. - 2. Industry-Leading Translations
Questel is an ISO-certified provider of language services. We are a WIPO translation provider, and our global network of specialists translates 105,000 patents a year for clients. - 3. Efficient and Secure Renewals
With 1 million+ annuities under management and 40+ years of experience, Questel's integrated renewals service assists 1,500+ clients worldwide. We combine automation, compliance, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and global support to support all types of renewals across 200+ jurisdictions. - 4. Fully Compliant and Certified
Our processes and technologies are compliant with ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), ISO 17100 (Translation Services Management), ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 18587 (Translation Post Editing), and ISO 13485 (Medical Devices).
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
