Is the IP World getting flat?
The IPR and patent businesses involve highly specialised staff
combining legal and technical skills. So far, this business has only been
slightly affected by the outsourcing wave that has hit the IT field. Will this
change soon? This module provides you with some relevant material to enable you
to come up with your own opinion. This trend may seriously affect IP activities
in the future.
India: the perfect candidate
In many cases, IPR activities are conducted in English. This makes
India the perfect country for the outsourcing of IP activities. In India, there
is a large highly skilled, English-speaking workforce available at a cheaper
price. A recent survey estimates that the revenues from patent services
outsourced to India to be $46 million for the 2007 calendar year. Those Indian
revenues are expected to grow at 35% per annum for the next five years,
reaching revenues of $206 million by the end of 2012.
This move is partially driven by lower costs. Salaries for patent
attorneys in India vary greatly but are usually lower than in Western
countries. At the very top of the scale, salaries can be as much as 30 Lakh a
year, corresponding to 45 k€. Starting salaries are around 9,000
€ a year for recent top graduates.
Some questions
Outsourcing work related to the most technically advanced
innovations is not without legal issues, especially in countries where such
material is considered strategic and subject to restrictive dissemination
export rules. This aspect has recently been highlighted by the USPTO. This
issue must be closely followed. Official work relating to a patent file is also
an area where outsourcing should be contemplated with extreme care as this work
is part of the foundation of a national or international legal system.
Loss of control, data control and vendor unreliability are sometimes
other arguments against outsourcing such legal work.
Further reading
Recent study on
outsourcing IP services to India
Offshoring
Legal Process and related ethical issues
Recent
USPTO questions
Patent Attorney in India – Salaries mentioned
here
and
here.
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