In a large global corporation, separate departments typically handle the management of patents and trademarks using different software. However, at Lanxess, the IP department has combined its entire portfolio into one software system, CPA Memotech 2004. Dr Stefan Deblon, patent counsel at Lanxess, explains why to Elodie Brice.

Whether it’s car tyres, colour plastics, hospital equipment or stadium-quality Astroturf, Lanxess products play an integral part in modern life. Part of Bayer Chemicals until early 2005, Lanxess has become a leading chemical group with production sites and agencies all over the world. Its diverse portfolio of around 5,000 products includes basic and fine chemicals, plastic colourants and inorganic pigments, and speciality chemicals for the paper and textile industries, and is protected by 10,000 patent applications and 12,000 trademark registrations.

Spread over 18 countries and employing more than 18,000 people worldwide, keeping track of Lanxess’s IP portfolio keeps patent counsel Dr Stefan Deblon and his colleagues busy throughout the year. ‘We divide our time between a variety of tasks’, says Dr Deblon. ‘These include filing and prosecution of patent applications, registrations of trademarks, enforcing IP Rights and licensing and purchasing IP, as well as managing our portfolio of rights.’

A forward-thinking approach
In large global corporations, usually at least two different departments handle the management of patents, trademarks and contracts, and it’s not uncommon for these departments to use different systems to manage their various assets. ‘Such was the case for Lanxess before introducing CPA Memotech 2004,’ explains Dr Deblon. ‘It managed its patents with an in-house developed system, its trademarks with commercial software, and its contracts with another in-house developed system.

'A failure of departments to work together can significantly impede processes and waste time in terms of internal workload'

‘The business strategy for filing and enforcing patents and trademarks is often linked to contractual regulations. The filing of a patent can, for example, be restricted due to
contractual obligations. A failure of departments to work together can significantly impede processes and waste time in terms of internal workload. It can also slow down merger and acquisition activities. We realised that taking a more unified approach to our IP administration was essential to Lanxess’s success and progress. As a result, we decided to take a fresh look at IP management software to search for one provider that could act as a one-stop-shop.’

Lanxess were looking for a modern product that was easy to use, but powerful and flexible enough to evolve with its global business. ‘We evaluated five different vendors, before selecting CPA Memotech 2004,’ says Dr Deblon. ‘It offered the perfect chemistry a variety of modules to suit our entire IP landscape and provided the web technology we needed to communicate with our business worldwide. It is now used by more than 80 people, on a daily basis, at multiple sites. The software allows us to combine our patent, trademark and contract data into one easy-to-use centralised system, which can be accessed and assessed from anywhere in the world.’

Making the right move
The Patent and Trademark Modules are fully automated to ensure that deadlines are docketed and monitored, and Lanxess now uses CPA’s Electronic Interface to facilitate the management of their renewals payments with CPA. ‘The addition of CPA’s free Interface really speeds up our productivity by reducing potential error when processing renewals payments,’ explains Dr Deblon. ‘It also makes the process of producing detailed reports much easier for us.

‘The ability to use a common infrastructure to administer our patent and trademark work has paid considerable dividends for our productivity,’ concludes Dr Deblon. ‘Increased communication between the portfolios presents us with a more precise picture of our intangible assets and a more effective method of administering them.’

To find out how CPA Memotech 2004 can help your business, please email Elodie Brice at ebrice@cpaglobal.com

This article was first published in IP Review, issue 13

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