Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk

The Cost of Backlogs:Beyond the Executive Summary

Andy Bartlett

IPO

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk

Key Findings• However you define them, backlogs are growing• Demand continues to rise despite global

recession• conventional response not coping• An extra year of pendency within 5 years• £7.6B at EPO, USPTO, JPO alone• Not a problem at the moment ?

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk

Underestimating the problem?• does not include the cost to third parties

resulting from uncertainty over pending applications 

• We anticipate a wave of applications from emerging economies

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk

applications originating in the Republic of Korea, China and India

1995-2007

0

25000

50000

75000

100000

125000

150000

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Korea

Domestic Foreign

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

India

Domestic Foreign

0

30000

60000

90000

120000

150000

180000

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

China

Domestic Foreign

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk

patent applications to the USPTO, originating from Korea, China and India

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Korea China India

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk

Sources and solutions

• In the offices studied one in three applications is a duplicate

• If the time spent on examining duplicate applications could be reduced by 25%, the predicted growth in backlogs could be avoided

• Patent offices need to be more inventive