If you work in an industry long enough, you realise where the pain points are. For international patents, practitioners often cite the need to file across different jurisdictions, translation difficulties, and varied renewal processes as significant hurdles. Drawing together individuals with extensive experience in the field, TOPPAN Digital IP has launched STREAM IP to address these challenges.
The above issues are hardly new to law firms and corporate intellectual property (IP) teams attempting to manage international patents. Inefficiencies caused by disparate systems, manual processes, and difficulties coordinating translation and filing across countries drain time and financial resources. While AI is increasingly used to provide answers to such problems, sometimes a human touch is needed to guide the way.
The premise
The genesis of STREAM IP is explained by Neil Simpkin, senior vice president of IP solutions at TOPPAN Digital IP. “When we first started talking about this idea, it came from a very real problem we saw in the industry,” he said. “We’d worked in this space for years, and we kept seeing the same frustrations from clients.
“We know that law firms and [patent] applicants want to see evolutions in technology and AI reflected in their workflows and in the costs of protecting their IP. STREAM IP is designed to do exactly that.”
Simpkin is part of a team that comprises paralegals, project managers, subject-specialist translators, and filing agents, all united by a clear goal. “It wasn’t about reinventing the wheel; it was about making things clearer, smarter, and easier for our clients,” he said. “We believe there is a better way for companies to manage their international patent portfolios.”
Austyn Hardy, vice president of customer solutions, echoes the importance of first-hand insights. “We want customers to benefit from solutions that are integrated, intelligent, transparent, intuitive, and secure,” he said. “We’ve built our solutions drawing on decades of combined experience – we’ve seen what works, what doesn’t.”
The five pillars Hardy mentioned are central to TOPPAN’s vision. Principles matter, but practical differentiation is what counts. So what does STREAM IP view as its key differentiators?
The offering
As a starting point, the STREAM IP platform consolidates international patent filing, translation, and renewals into one configurable, centralised interface. Users can obtain instant quotes for complex multi-country orders in multiple currencies, integrate the system with their existing IP tools, and monitor costs and progress in real time.
STREAM IP also incorporates TOPPAN Digital Language, the company’s translation division, which combines AI-enabled translation with expert linguists familiar with technical fields and jurisdiction-specific requirements.
The key features include the following.
Integration and interface:
Seamless integration with clients’ existing IP management systems;
A highly configurable user interface tailored to each organisation’s needs; and
Customisable, real-time reporting and analytics tools.
Filing and translation:
Support for filings under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and the European Patent Convention (EPC);
Translation and filing assistance for PCT national and regional phase entry, European patent validation, EPC Rule 71(3) formalities, and renewals; and
The option to configure filing jurisdictions and add unitary effect for European patents.
Portfolio management and insights:
A live portfolio view with smart links between related cases;
Tools to track competitor activity and monitor technology trends; and
Real-time updates, automated deadline tracking, and compliance monitoring for a range of users, from individual inventors to large IP firms managing global portfolios.
The future
STREAM IP will be showcased at this year’s IP Service World in Munich on November 24–25, but TOPPAN Digital IP is looking beyond that event. Enhancements are planned, and the intention is for the platform to continually adapt to client needs as the industry evolves.
The team is determined to draw on its experience to fulfil that goal. Kris Jeffrey, vice president of sales and marketing, is in little doubt where the team’s advantage lies. “We’ve each had detailed careers in the language services industry, specifically relating to IP and legal services,” he said. “Between myself, Austyn, Neil, and Chris [Evans, vice president of operations], we’ve got more than 60 years of collective, hands-on experience in patent translation and foreign filing. This adds real value.”
Whether STREAM IP adds “real value” is for clients and users to judge. The platform, which launched today (November 4), is available for demonstration and testing, while interested parties are also invited to provide feedback on its features. Built for IP professionals by IP professionals, STREAM IP is well positioned to address the common issues in international patent filing.
For further information or to arrange a demonstration, visit the TOPPAN Digital IP website.
