The Hindu Business Line : Now, KPO in patents

AFTER software, financial services, clinical research, outsourcing IPR could soon emerge as the new KPO (knowledge process outsourcing), in which India can become a global player.

With more than 100 multinationals setting up their research and development (R&D) laboratories, India has turned into one of the global hubs for research.

Corporates and research institutes planning frontline research need proper IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) expertise to pick the correct area, avoid duplication and invest their time, human resources and money to gain competitive advantage.

In view of the tremendous growth in knowledge and proliferation of patents, the task has become tough. Hence, the space for specialised entities that can provide this key input is starting to grow. The new patent regime and the growing competition from multinationals have also brought patents into the limelight among Indian companies.

One of the early entrants into this potential, money-spinner is the Hyderabad-based SciTech Patent Art Services (SPA), which provides the end-to-end IP management services to help clients optimise their returns on R&D investments.

More than half a dozen companies in India have also set up facilities to provide IPR-related services from search, to document writing, global filing, legal advise on infringements etc. These include IP Matrix, Patent Matrix, E Value Serve, Intelvet, which are trying to make a mark in this niche market.

In the first two years of operation itself, SPA has bagged a contract from a Fortune 50 company to provide patent analysis services. It has created a dedicated staff of 40-50 professionals to meet the demands, said Ms Uma Parameswaran, Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

What SPA does is to utilise the vast technical expertise from Indian engineers, doctors and doctorates in various subjects, do a patent search, databases, patent analysis and Patent Attorneys, who give legal inputs so that the clients (multinationals and Indian), will have the best possible information that can set their research priorities.

In the US, typically large corporations employed PhDs to scan libraries and paid huge salaries.

Similarly, Patent Attorneys are employed to get legal views. With researchers preferring to focus their time and energy on finding solutions rather than doing searches, corporations have started looking for outsourced opportunities.

"This is where we feel a niche market and expertise exists and our company has quickly found the people and skills," Mr Srinivas Achanta, founder of the company and working with BoozAllen Hamilton Consultants in US told Business Line.

In addition to the Fortune 50 company, SPA has worked for 18 companies, six international and the rest Indian as well as for 3 US-based IP law firms.

"Our plans are to double manpower and focus on the US and European corporates in the near future," said Mr Srinivas, who was here to attend the board meeting.

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