The global patent database provider Incopat is a media partner of The Patent Magazine: we interviewed the President Jia He
IncoPat is a global patent database provider, dedicating to providing first-rate patent data and platform for companies, patent agencies and law firms to search, browse, analyze and monitor global patents. Incopat collects patents from 120 authorities. The platform makes an integration of functions like patent search, analyze and monitor. Furthermore, incoPat processes on value-added data like legal status, litigation, corporate business information, technology operation, custom record, communication standards, declassified national defense patents, etc. By using self-developed patent DNA analysis technology, incoPat combines the technology of AI with IP to realize functions like semantic search, landscape analysis, and hotspot prediction to help users raising innovation efficiency, enhancing IP competitiveness and locating business opportunities in emerging market.
The Patent Magazine is media partner of Incopat and we interviewed the President Jia He.
How did the idea of creating a patent database come about?
Ten years ago, there were no patent database vendors from China and Chinese companies and IP service agencies will have to chose patent database developed by overseas companies. But, there are some obstacles for Chinese users using foreign databases. Like due to the language barrier, it is kind of difficult for Chinese users to conduct global patent search in Chinese; Like foreign vendors may not put huge efforts in Chinese patent processing which is required by Chinese companies; Like after-sale service are not satisfied since Chinese clients are not their top priority at that time and there is time lag. I myself, as a staff in IP industry could completely understand the difficulties Chinese IP professionals were facing when patent database search was needed. So my team have made up our mind to develop a global patent database that is user-friendly for Chinese users. For the past 10 years, incoPat keeps growing pushed by our Chinese clients and we have accumulated more than 2000 loyal institutional users even with some well-known multinational technology enterprises which is beyond our expectation.
How does the Incopat platform works and which are the services offered to the patent holders?
incoPat is a global patent database collecting patents from 120 authorities. The platform makes an integration of functions like patent search, analysis and monitor. Furthermore, incoPat processes on value-added data like legal status, litigation, corporate business information, technology operation, custom record, communication standards, declassified national defense patents, etc. By using self-developed patent DNA analysis technology, incoPat combines the technology of AI with IP to realize functions like semantic search, landscape analysis, and hotspot prediction to help users raising innovation efficiency, enhancing IP competitiveness and locating business opportunities in emerging market.
Let’s talk about numbers: how many patents are there on the database? With are the most popular research areas?
incoPat collects more than 140 million patent technologies since the year 1782, with 14,000 new technologies updated everyday. As far as I can see, for international corporations, the most satisfied point for incoPat is its deep process on Chinese patent data as well as some valued added data. As a Chinese patent vendor, our team understand Chinese patents deeply and is expert in digging the valuable intelligence in Chinese patents. Like using incoPat, you could search any Chinese patents with awards issued by the government; you could search and analyze the type of Chinese patent applicants (whether it is corporate, college, individual or others); you could search and analyze Chinese patents by provinces, cities and even counties; you could check the patent life or examination duration; you can even check if any Chinese patents is for sale. Further more, incoPat collects Chinese patent related litigation, licensing, pledge, reexamination-invalidation and business data. All theses information has been translated into English for non-Chinese users to search, browse and analyze. All these intelligence might be helpful for high-tech companies around the world especially those caring about Chinese market.
Who is the average user of your platform?
incoPat can be an efficient tool to support innovation for IP professionals and R&D people from high-tech companies; also there are many users from patent law firms, academic institutions and governments using incoPat for their work and research.
Coronavirus Emergency
Coronavirus: have you implemented special measures or organized solidarity initiatives?
For the past several months, the raging Coronavirus did bring great difficulties for the society and incoPat as well. The epidemic situation hampered our onsite clients visit and face-to-face communication with our users. Relatively fortunately, as a SAAS provider, the online service of incoPat has not been effected. Although there was a period, when the whole team has to work at home separately, all our team members take initiative to achieve their tasks and ensure the normal running of the platform and upgrade of functions. We know that due to the Coronavirus, many enterprise staff have to work at home and may unable to access patent databases that are accessible only in their office. In response, incoPat is willing to provide free incoPat accounts for enterprise staff working at home during these special days. This is warmly welcomed by our clients in China and if there are any enterprise staff in Europe facing similar problems, you could apply for long period of free trial through our website(https://www.incopat.com), we will try our best to support. We also hope that Coronavirus could be defeated all around the world so that everyone could get back to daily life and work.
According to your opinion, will the Coronavirus emergence will affect the patent sector? What can we expect in the coming months?
Coronavirus has already put effects on enterprises of almost all industries globally. Many enterprises are faced with challenges to stay alive. It can be expected that enterprises may cut cash inputs in innovation which means patent industry might also get into a short downturn. On the other hand, this event is also obviously pushing the traditional-elements-oriented economy evolving to innovation-elements(like digitization)-oriented economy worldwide. This means some enterprises with high efficiency and strong innovation capability will survive and even get stronger. The patent industry will then rejuvenate together with these enterprises who attach more importance to innovation protection.
Does the platform provide facilities or help for young inventors?
Last year, incoPat released an AI search function which could be quite helpful for young inventors. With the support of AI technology, inventors only have to input their idea into incoPat, and incoPat will help draw a knowledge map of the idea which will display the technical relationships between different parts of the invention idea. Inventors could then do further adjustment on this knowledge map to describe his or her idea further. With the patent DNA analyzing technology developed by our team, incoPat will help find out the most similar patents and technologies around the world. This will help inventors to find similar inventions to their idea so as to evaluate the novelty and optimize the invention further.
Are there patents or projects registered in the platform that have been particularly successful? Can you give us some examples?
IncoPat has maintained long-term partnership with lots of companies like Huawei, Gree, Alibaba, Lenovo and so on who hold leading positions in innovation of their industry these years. incoPat works as an essential tool to supports these companies on their complete flow of innovation. It might be kind of difficult to mention one or two specific patents since our clients have been granted for massive patents with the supports of incoPat.
China and Europe: are there big differences in the world of patents?
There are actually no great difference in the world of patents between China and Europe. Europe always treasure the protection of patent technology and for China, there is a prominent trends that both the governments and the companies pay higher attention to the protection of Chinese patent technology. However what I think should be noticed is the shortage of transparency between China and Europe. It is kind of difficult for European companies to get a timely and clear access to information on like Chinese patent litigation cases, risky patents from China, successful rate of litigation. And for Chinese companies, it is important but difficult to recognize the appropriate patent owners as a partner and introduce licensed advanced technology through information provided by European patents. incoPat might be a great platform to clear off this barrier by collecting and processing on related data and help China and Europe to learn better from each other so as to conducting technological and economical cooperation
Incopat and The Patent Magazine
What do you expect from this partnership with “The Patent Magazine”?
For incoPat, it is a great honor to cooperate with “The Patent Magazine” which will sure help incoPat to reach more potential European clients especially those who have specific demands in Chinese patent search. Hopefully, by virtue of the platform provided by “The Patent Magazine”, we could talk more with clients from Europe to learn their demands and provide them with satisfied products and solutions and also invite more European companies to experience the advantage of incoPat.
As for “The Patent Magazine”, incoPat could be a professional contents partner since we collect patent data from all around the world. With the supports of incoPat, “The Patent Magazine” could provide more writing materials and providing valuable technology and patent information for readers. Further more, incoPat could be a great platform for “The Patent Magazine” to reach more Chinese readers and partners as well. incoPat is serving thousands of IP professionals from China high-tec company, patent agency, universities and governments. Through the window of incOpat, more Chinese readers will read contents of “The Patent Magazine”, learn more of “The Patent Magazine” and also possible business opportunities many come up for “The Patent Magazine”. I hope with the joint efforts of incoPat and “The Patent Magazine”, there will be more connecting and cooperating opportunities for legal and technology professionals between European and China and deeper friendship could be developed.