A new article listing 6 top strategies/tips for managing patent translation and filing costs has just been posted on IP Watchdog. The authors are Gene Quinn, a patent attorney and president of IPWatchdog, and Ethan Perlson, our own director of marketing.

An excerpt:

Given the sluggish economic recovery and continued budget pressure on IP departments, it makes sense to consider new strategies for lowering the steep costs related to international patent filing. Patent Translations can account for up to 50% of the cost of national stage entry, so cost-cutting strategies could make a significant difference in the bottom line. Strategic costs savings can then be used to stretch a diminishing budget, or offer opportunities to expand patent protection into other countries without busting your budget.

Before moving into discussion about ways to cut cost it is important to focus on the end goal. It is one thing to cut costs, but to borrow a popular political phrase – you want to cut with a scapula, not a clever. Thus, keeping in mind the ultimately end goal at every step will allow you to engage cost cutting strategies without compromising your patent project. Of course, the end goal is to obtain the broadest, strongest patent portfolio; obtaining patents in a variety of jurisdictions where meaningful business opportunities exist.

You can read the full article here.

Managing patent translation and filing costs can be simplified when working with experienced-professional language service providers, like ourselves. Morningside has delivered accurate, reliable patent translations for the world’s largest companies and law firms. Our streamlined filing solution helps lower costs and ensures quality. Contact us today to learn more.

More global companies than ever before are seeking to protect their intellectual property rights in China. They rightly view China as one of the world’s largest markets. We at Morningside specialize in patent translation and filing, and over the last five years, we have watched as China has shifted from a country that clients often file in to one they view as absolutely essential for IPR purposes. In 2012, Morningside is slated to translate and file more applications for national stage entry into China than ever before.

Of course the big question mark regarding filing in China continues to be the quality of patent protection and the widescale IP infringement that dissuades many global companies from filing there. This week, there was some encouraging news. China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) said it would increase enforcement to prevent IP infringement.  At a forum that included foreign diplomats and trade representatives, Wu Kai, deputy director of SIPO’s International Cooperation Department, said, “The Chinese government has attached great importance to this issue in recent years and made great achievements in legislation, enforcement, management, and training.”

It’s not clear if this constitutes a real change or just PR. After all, earlier this month China was once again at the top of the United States Trade Representative’s priority watchlist of countries that condone IP infringement.

Still, most experts agree that IP enforcement has improved in China, and patent holders are certainly investing considerable sums of money filing in China: In 2011, the number of applications surpassed 1.63 million, an increase of 33.6 percent over 2010. And filings grew from 63,000 in 2001 to 526,000 in 2011, an annual average increase of 23.6 percent.

Hopefully, China will follow through with improved IP laws and enforcement. If they do, we can expect patent filings in China to continue to increase, and global companies who seek IP protection in China to see significant ROI from this decision.

In patent applications, every word counts. IP professionals draft applications using precise language and explicit terms to ensure not only that the application will be granted, but also that it will be enforceable. When filing an application overseas, it is equally important that the translated text retain the same precise, unambiguous language. A poorly translated word or phrase can literally cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

If you are concerned about the quality of the translations provided by your foreign associates or translation provider, one way to check for accuracy is to ask a company like Morningside to perform a back translation. What is a back translation? It’s the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back into the original language. The two documents are then compared and reviewed for accuracy. To manage costs, you can have a back translation performed only on the claims. It makes sense to have back translations performed on several claim sets to get a broad picture of the translation quality your current vendor is providing. Questions about back translations? Call Morningside and we will be glad to help.