Last week I wrote a post on outsourcing patent related work to India. I recently came across an article via Managing Intellectual Property about the same subject.
The article points out to the following areas as offshored IP services
- Literature and prior art searches including searching databases, conducting freedom to operate studies, patentability and patent invalidity searches;
- Patent portfolio analysis and landscaping services including overlap analysis and the creation of claim charts, valuation modeling and competitive intelligence – services pertain to mining and licensing patent portfolios that require deeper experience;
- Patent proofreading and docketing – patent paralegal services;
- Drafting patent application and technical disclosure and help with prosecution, including writing a preliminary draft of a patent application, helping with drafting amendments and drafting complete technical disclosures for quick conversion into patent office compliant patent applications.
That list is almost all the work of a normal patent agent. I am sure that this development alongside other issues like translations and centralized courts will force the patent advisor business to re-calibrate their business in another direction. Focus will be on how the IP supports the business and will require new skills and competencies of the advisors.