Patent Budget Forecasting: Model Next Year's Patent Spend

Scenario budgeting shows a policy change as next year's patent spend by month, against the baseline and the budget set for each taxonomy. Counsel asks about an annuity or filing policy change in plain language, and patent budget forecasting in ArcPrime returns its effect before anyone commits to it. Each answer can be checked line by line and sent on to Finance.

ArcPrime is the AI native IP Management System covering the full patent lifecycle in one platform, from invention disclosure to enforcement.

Which policy changes can a patent budget scenario test?

A patent budget scenario in ArcPrime can test three policy changes: dropping a set of countries, switching US provisionals to direct PCT filings, and stopping continuation filings. Dropping countries removes the future annuities and national phase entries in those countries from the projection. Stopping continuations takes those future filings and their costs out of it.

How do you forecast the cost of moving from provisionals to PCT?

A move from US provisionals to direct PCT filings shows up in ArcPrime as a change in when the money goes out, laid out month by month against the baseline. The projection is recalculated on the new filing route, and the answer gives the new total along with that timing.

Does the scenario show whether it lands under budget?

When a yearly budget has been set, the scenario answer includes the budget line beside the baseline and the scenario, so it states directly whether the change lands under budget. Yearly budgets can be set for the whole patent portfolio and for each taxonomy. Every answer breaks the baseline and the scenario out by month and by spend category, with the total difference and the difference for each taxonomy.

How is the scenario number built, and can counsel check it?

The scenario number is built up from priced prosecution and maintenance events on each matter, and counsel can check it because every answer lists the future fees and filings the scenario removed or added. The answer labels the projection separately from the run rate forecast. That list lets counsel trace the difference to specific matters and specific fees when Finance or the general counsel asks how the number was reached.

What does Finance get from a scenario?

Finance gets a CSV export in two parts: the summary of baseline, scenario and difference by month and category, and the list of affected fees and filings that produced it. Budget owners outside the IP team can then do their IP budget planning from the same figures counsel reviewed.

Watch the video: How Do You Forecast Next Year's Patent Budget Under Different Scenarios?

See patent budget forecasting on a live budget in a demo.