IP Landscaping Tools and Techniques

Businesses who ask us for advice are usually looking for solutions to specific problems.  For many organisations it does not matter how the answers are arrived at as long as the problem is solved in the right way.  However, getting to the right solution often depends on the way the problem is understood and analysed, which may not always be clear cut  -  and it also depends on the effectiveness of choosing a method appropriate to the situation at hand.  In nearly every case, consultants will use a combination of tried and tested methodologies or tools coupled with the skills they have built up over time from working on similar problems both to get to the core of the issue and to interpret and enhance the research findings.

For those who are not familiar with the kinds of tools we use, we thought it might be useful to give you a brief overview.

The diversity of our clients at Coller IP Management results in their seeking answers to a wide range of questions.  Some of the sorts of questions we have been asked to address include:

• I’m thinking about my future commercialisation strategy and want to have a better understanding of my competitive position and how robust it may be?

• We’re considering an investment in company X, but we need to understand the strength of its IP?

• We’ve invested in a diverse number of research areas and we now want to focus future investment in those areas where there may be the best opportunities for commercial exploitation?

• What licensing opportunities might exist for my patent portfolio?

• I’m thinking about collaborating with other organisations that may have closely aligned or complementary IP, but I need to understand who they may be?

While the answers to these questions will be unique, our approach to addressing the wide range of challenges posed by our clients is underpinned by a proven set of analytical tools and methodologies.  Of primary importance is the need to discuss with each client the context of the work being commissioned and to develop sufficient knowledge of their need and carry out IP market research to allow us to produce relevant results.   

Much of the analysis that underpins our client work is based on published information, in particular patents, which provide a good source of technical & commercial intelligence and IP Market Research.  Analysis of the potentially thousands of publications necessitates the use of software based tools.  Figure 1 below displays the results of some of the tools that we use including IP Landscaping.

Figure 1 – Examples of outputs from analytical tools

One of these tools (Aureka Themescape™) permits the visualisation of search results.  The landscape maps produced by the software allow us to understand underlying themes in an IP Landscape. Further analysis can be based on amongst others key words, named companies or individuals, or particular areas of a map, and then help us to address our clients’ needs.  Figure 2 below represents an IP landscape associated with Lithium-ion battery technology.  Our skill is associated with careful analysis of the map, which in this case was to establish the particular interests of different organisations (as represented by the coloured dots) and to identify where opportunities or obstacles may exist for organisations wishing to operate in this area.

Figure 2 – Lithium-ion patent landscape

The tools that we use allow us to analyse the information in many different ways allowing us for example to review the age profile of a portfolio or group of patents; identify which areas are key to the operations of competitors or potential collaborators; help to establish the validity of client’s patents and highlight how their portfolio might be strengthened.  We explain clearly and concisely why we have reached specific conclusions, and, importantly, what implication that has for your business going forward.   Please contact us if you would like assistance in IP Market Reseach, analysing your competitors', or an investment portfolio.

October 2008