Benchmark Study for Leading NZ Manufacturer

Project Case Study

EverEdge IP assisted a leading New Zealand appliance manufacturer in a study to reduce the cost of managing and maintaining its intellectual property portfolio by driving better cost structures, service and efficiency from its existing patent attorneys.

About Client

The client is an iconic New Zealand company and one of the world's most innovative appliance manufacturers.

The Business Problem

The appliance manufacturer had built a significant portfolio of patents and trade¬marks crossing multiple technologies, filed in many offshore jurisdictions. The appliance industry is very competitive and relies heavily on research and innovation to stay ahead so being able to protect the intellectual property produced from its R&D program was critical to the client. However the cost of protection had grown exponentially and the client felt that its existing patent attorneys were driving an intellectual property strategy that was both expensive and did not always address the client's commercial interests. Service levels had dropped, costs were escalating, competitive intelligence vis¬ibility was decreasing and the value the client's intellectual property function should have been providing was falling. EverEdge IP was approached to help.

EverEdge IP Solution

EverEdge IP worked closely with the client's Intellectual Property Manager to understand the situation and the client's needs. EverEdge IP then conducted an in-depth benchmark of the major patent attorney firms in New Zealand and Australia, comparing capability, costs and services provision across multiple service lines and engagement models. At the conclusion of the study, EverEdge IP was able to present the client with a comprehensive review of the provider options available, the strengths and weaknesses of each and the key points that the client should require in a future service agreement. EverEdge IP then helped the manufacturer to select a new provider and ensure the relationship would provide the intellectual property protection services that the client needed both in the present and would require in the future. In addition, as a direct consequence of the engagement the manufacturer's selected patent attorneys reduced their rates by 7%, resulting in a six figure reduction in the client's intellectual property protection costs.

The Result

The client has reduced its costs dramatically and now has its patent attorney providing the services that the client needs.