THOMSON SCIENTIFIC MDC PATENT ANNUITY PAYMENT SERVICES CASE STUDY

Murgitroyd & Company trusts theexpertise, IP rules management, andtechnology provided by Master DataCenter (MDC), part of ThomsonScientific, to facilitate predictable,reliable, and accurate patent renewal payments.

CORPORATE PROFILE

Size .............................. £18 million, worldwide

HQ ............................................... Glasgow, UK

Countries ........................... 9 European offices

Patents ................................................. 4,000+

Professionals ................................................ 60

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Murgitroyd & Company: Deliveringsuperior intellectual property services with MDC annuity paymentexpertise and technology

MURGITROYD & COMPANYAmong the largest and most progressive firms ofEuropean Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys,Murgitroyd & Company (“Murgitroyd”) has extensive experience helping to manage and protect the intellectual property (IP) portfolios ofleading organizations worldwide — across allindustrial sectors. It has a staff of over 180, includ-ing approximately 60 professional staff operatingfrom nine European offices with direct represen-tation rights before the European Patent Office(EPO) and Community Trade Mark Office (OHIM)and many national patent offices and trade mark registries in Europe.

Murgitroyd has a deserved reputation for providing practical, commercially relevant, and

technically accurate advice. As an ISO 9001 qual-ity-certified organization, it places great emphasison customer service excellence, anticipatingpotential areas of difficulty and resolving prob-lems effectively.

To manage client IP portfolios efficiently,Murgitroyd utilizes a proprietary case management system that facilitates the sharing of information with clients, including providing secure web-based client access to case and file information and correspondence.

BUSINESS ISSUESAssisted by ISO 9001 quality management system standards, Murgitroyd consistently strivesto improve and refine business processes toachieve high customer satisfaction. The businesshas continued to expand as planned, and in 2004Murgitroyd embarked on an exhaustive 6-monthsearch for a strategic partner to help streamlinethe payment of over 4,000 client patent annuitypayments annually. The effort was led by KeithTurner, the General Manager responsible forBusiness Development, and a small project teamof experienced IP administrative staff, IT specialistsand attorneys.

As a part of the evaluation and selection process,the Murgitroyd team developed a detailedrequirements document and questionnaire that

was sent to prospective service providers. “Welooked at 4 vendors in the marketplace. Unlikethe other providers, MDC didn’t simply give us aproposal with pricing on our requirements,” saidMr. Turner. “MDC came back wanting to learnmore about what we wanted and needed toaccomplish. They looked beyond our current situation and took the time to understand ourbusiness and technical systems and processes.

They showed a willingness to look at alternativeways of doing things. And they got the right people involved very early on in the project.”

THOMSON SCIENTIFIC MDC PATENT ANNUITY PAYMENT SERVICES CASE STUDY

“MDC has providedMurgitroyd with a combina-tion of responsiveness, reliability, and flexibility intechnology, and a willingness to adapt this toour business requirements.”

Keith Turner

General Manager

Business Developement

Murgitroyd & Company

United States300 Franklin Center29100 Northwestern HighwaySouthfield, Michigan 48034-1095Phone: +1.248.352.5810E-mail: mdc.info@thomson.comWeb: www.mdcip.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

JapanPalaceside Bldg. 5F 1-1-1 Hitotsubashi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0003 JapanPhone: +81 3 5218 6500Free dial: 0800 888 8855 (from Japan only)mdc.japan@thomson.comWeb: www.mdcip.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

GermanyIS Information Service GmbHMaria-Theresia-Strasse 4D-79102 Freiburg, GermanyPhone: +011.49.761.45907.50E-mail: mdc.info@thomson.comWeb: www.mdcip.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

United Kingdom14 Great Queen StreetLondon WC2B 5DF United KingdomPhone: +44 20 7344 2800E-mail: mdc.info@thomson.comWeb: www.mdcip.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

THE MDC PATENT ANNUITYPAYMENT SERVICES SOLUTIONTo deliver the most effective solution that wouldmeet the customized needs of Murgitroyd,MDC first planned and designed a pilot programthat would test a select number of patent casesfor renewal payments. The pilot programallowed for careful planning and quality assur-ance before a full launch. Throughout the pilot,both technical and business process interface procedures between the two organizationswere tested and refined.

As Mr. Turner explains, “We were able to systematically test and review the renewalsprocess on a step-by-step basis and build confi-dence. MDC’s front-end planning made it all gomore smoothly. We grew confident that if prob-lems did occur, they would be solved quickly andefficiently.”

Following the success of the pilot program,Murgitroyd engaged MDC to undertake allpatent annuity payments on its behalf. The keysteps that enable Murgitroyd to ensure a reli-able, accurate patent payment process include:

1 Transmission of Data – Patent portfolio datalisting cases due for payment is extracted fromMurgitroyd’s database and sent electronically toMDC for processing.

2 Patent Decision Package Prepared – MDCcreates a report listing the cases due forpayment and the cost of each. The reports

generated are customized to Murgitroyd’sneeds.

3 Report Review & Instructions – Murgitroydimports the incoming cost data into e-mails and letters automatically generated by its proprietaryIT system. For larger clients, Murgitroyd is able togenerate annual schedules. Murgitroyd clientsare then able to review each case and specify whether each should be paid, held, or abandoned.

4 Validation and Confirmation – MDC runsMurgitroyd’s data listing cases due for paymentand associated data though a series of internalchecks and balances to verify the validity ofinformation and ensures that it meets specificcountry requirements for payment processing.MDC also reviews Murgitroyd’s data to verifywhether retroactive IP rules changes or databaseupdates at Murgitroyd require payment for aprior processing period. Once complete, the data is then processed per the instructions provided.

5 Final Confirmation – Following payment,MDC creates a final confirmation list of all casespaid and provides Murgitroyd with receipt ofeach payment.

CONCLUSIONUltimately Murgitroyd required more than just astandard patent annuity payment solution; itrequired a customized solution backed by aresponsive, forward-thinking team. In selectingMDC as its partner, Murgitroyd chose a peeroffering equally high standards of qualitycustomer service.

As a result, Murgitroyd is assured that its patentrenewal payments are reliably and efficiently paidon time.

Mr. Turner concludes, “MDC has providedMurgitroyd with a combination of responsive-ness, reliability, and flexibility in technology, and awillingness to adapt this to our business require-ments. The transition to the new procedurestook place as planned and within the expectedtimescales. The ongoing day-to-day renewalspayment processes now in place between ourrenewals department and MDC are workingwell. It runs very smoothly.”