- within Intellectual Property topic(s)
- in Middle East
- with readers working within the Technology industries
Henning Koch, IP & Patent Director at Autoliv, shares his insights and positive experience of Questel's centralized model for international filing services.
Autoliv manages an extensive patent portfolio across multiple jurisdictions. Facing increasing complexity in international filings, the company sought a solution to reduce costs, simplify administration, and gain transparency without disrupting its trusted patent firm network relationships.
The Challenge: Efficient Patent Management
Managing international patent filings across multiple jurisdictions can be complex and costly. Autoliv needed a way to:
- Control and reduce costs
- Simplify administrative processes
- Gain better visibility on IP spend
All while maintaining strong relationships with its existing patent firms.
The Solution: Questel's Centralized Patent Management Services
In June 2019, Autoliv transitioned to Questel's Centralized Model for second patent filings. As Henning shared at a 2020 industry conference, the onboarding was smooth, requiring minimal effort to align with existing patent agents.
Key features introduced:
- Centralized handlingof translations and filing instructions
- Expert administrative support for formalities across jurisdictions, reducing paperwork and complexity
To further optimize its IP spend, Autoliv also adopted Questel's IP cost management service, which complements the filing process by providing full financial transparency and control. The combined solution enabled Autoliv to:
- ✔Centralize invoice collection and reporting for all patent firms
- ✔Access customizable data reports for complete visibility on costs
- ✔Implement a global fee schedule to standardize pricing across jurisdictions
The best part? These services come at no extra cost, helping Autoliv achieve significant savings while maintaining strong relationships with its patent firms.
The Results: Significant Cost and Time Savings
- ✔ 20% Cost Savings in Year One
Autoliv achieved a significant reduction in second-filing costs and made additional savings through the global fee schedule and invoice management initiatives.
- ✔ Simplified Administration
Henning and his team benefit from a single point of contact for international filings and translations, reducing paperwork and formalities across jurisdictions.
- ✔ Full Transparency at No Extra
Cost
Monthly invoice reports, custom data, and proactive communication on fee schedule compliance.
"The Questel team is very skilled in formalities across different countries, especially for transfers (power of attorneys, etc.), which simplifies the process and avoids unnecessary paperwork.
"We started with bi-weekly meetings, now quarterly—because everything runs smoothly." - Henning Koch, Autoliv. IP & Patent Director
Reasons to Choose Questel's Patent Services
By choosing Questel's integrated patent services, Autoliv continues to leverage its patent firm network for prosecution while gaining:
- Efficiency without compromise
- Cost control without sacrificing quality
- Transparency without additional overhead
Ready to Reduce Costs and Simplify Your IP Management? Discover how you can achieve similar results by downloading our dedicated guide to modernizing patent filing and prosecution, or contact our subject matter experts now to learn more about Questel's Centralized Model.
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.
[View Source]