RWS inovia Releases 7th Annual Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator

RWS inovia, the leading foreign filing, IP translation and patent search services provider, today announced the release of its annual report, "The 2016 Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator”, an in-depth look at the filing strategies of U.S. and European patent owners. Now in its seventh year, the Indicator is a go-to resource for identifying the trends having the greatest impact on the foreign filing strategies of patentees around the world.

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The 2016 Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator highlights (Graphic: Business Wire)

This year, responses were included from over 100 companies and universities in the United States (68% of respondents) and Europe (32% of respondents). Business ranged from small enterprises (37% with 1-100 employees) to multinational corporations (10% with more than 10,000 employees). All respondents were involved in the strategy and planning of patent activity at their organization, with job functions ranging from Head of Global Patent Operations to General Counsel to CEO.

Key findings from the 2016 Indicator included:

• Alice Corp v. CLS Bank Ruling: In 2015, fallout from the Alice ruling was noted as a dominating issue for patent applicants. Two years ago, the US Supreme Court ruled on the patent eligibility of software related inventions, declaring abstract ideas ineligible for prosecution. Survey respondents noted this issue as affecting their ongoing business strategies.
• PCT dominant method of filing: Over 97% of respondents used the PCT for some or all of their filing needs compared to filing via the Paris Convention route. Most users discussed the cost benefit analysis that goes into making the decision: the PCT is more cost effective for large patent families and the Paris Convention route if only one country is in consideration.
• USPTO most used International Search Authority: 64% of respondents used the United States Patent & Trademark Office as an International Search Authority (ISA) to perform a search of the prior art for their patent. The European Patent Office and Korean IP Office were the second and third most frequently used offices respectively.
• IP budgets remained consistent: For the past three years, the same percentage of respondents have been working on reduced IP budgets in 2015 (31%). 40% of respondents were not affected by cuts and in 18% of cases, budgets actually increased in 2015.

"We are excited to publish this report for the first time as RWS inovia,” Reinhard Ottway, CEO of RWS Group recently remarked. "For the last seven years, the Indicator has become an invaluable resource in the patent industry, providing insight and guidance for both newcomers and seasoned applicants looking to file internationally.”

RWS inovia surveyed companies and universities through an online questionnaire. To download a free copy of this report, visit: https://www.inovia.com/resources/global-ip-trends-indicator/

About RWS inovia

RWS inovia is the global leader in IP translation, foreign patent filing and search services. For more than 70 years combined, we have led the industry and helped more than 10,000 clients protect their intellectual property and enforce their IP rights around the world. As the number one patent translation specialists, we translate over 70,000 patents and IP-related documents each year. Our patented technology on our global instruction platform, inovia.com, simplifies the PCT national stage entry, direct (Paris Convention) filing and European validation processes – with agents covering more than 130 countries. Our top quality patent and design searches leverage PatBase – a professional patent database developed in partnership with Minesoft Ltd.

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