DEME is a world-leading marine construction company headquartered in Belgium. Its focus on dredging and reclamation projects, renewable energy, offshore wind, environmental remediation, and concessions makes robust management of an extensive IP portfolio essential to driving innovation.

Dominique, Head of Innovation, and Thalia, a key member of the legal team, shared their journey of adopting PatentRenewal.com to improve their patent renewal processes.

The challenge

Previously, the company relied on a patent attorney to oversee their IP renewals, which presented some challenges, including:

  • Transparency issues: The lack of a centralized online platform meant limited visibility into costs and provided limited options for agile patent portfolio management.‍
  • Cost: The patent attorney relied on multiple local agents, which increased the overall renewal cost for their clients.

"We lacked a transparent and centralized platform. Our patent attorney was handling basically the complete process, from writing applications to paying the maintenance fees, but they relied a lot on local agents, which added up in complexity and cost."

Why PatentRenewal.com?

The company conducted a market search, evaluating different providers based on cost, operational efficiency, and transparency. After the comparisons, PatentRenewal.com stood out due to its comprehensive solution. 

Key factors influencing their decision included:

  • A clear and transparent cost structure, with an overview dashboard 
  • Proactive communication and responsiveness during the evaluation
  • The ability to integrate their internal system for seamless portfolio management

“A big advantage was that our internal numbering system could be integrated, which made it easier to track and manage our patents. Especially the platform and the transparency of the costs were a main motivation for choosing PatentRenewal.com."

Solution

Through this transition to PatentRenewal.com, DEME gained greater transparency, increased flexibility, and improved financial planning. The platform now provides an accessible system that simplifies patent portfolio management and decision-making.

Key platform features that stood out:

  • Centralized patent overview: The dashboard provided a comprehensive view of all patents, renewal statuses, and country-specific details, significantly improving efficiency. Although they kept the control system of the patent attorney, PatentRenewalcom’s portfolio tracking made the process more agile. 
  • Forecasting and budgeting tools: The forecasting feature enabled accurate cost projections for future periods. DEME reported a significant improvement in budget accuracy and a reduction in unexpected renewal costs.
"The forecasting tool is a valuable addition; it offers predictive insights into future costs and provides a useful overview.”


As a result of adopting PatentRenewal.com’s solution, DEME experienced:

  • Streamlined IP management: The centralized platform and automation reduced manual tasks and made the IP renewal process more efficient. ‍
  • Scalability for future growth: The platform’s efficiency ensures DEME is well-equipped to handle an expanding portfolio.

"Now, we have a clear overview of costs and renewals for managing and budgeting. The platform is user-friendly and constantly being updated. Everything seems to run efficiently, and that’s exactly what you want: patents renewed on time, handled efficiently, and at the best price."

Conclusion

By adopting PatentRenewal.com, DEME gained efficiency, transparency, and cost savings in their IP renewal processes.

"Yes, I would recommend PatentRenewal.com to other companies managing IP renewals. It has made the renewal process much more cost-efficient and transparent.”

If you want to explore how your company could achieve similar results as DEME has done with our automated and cost-efficient renewal process, start by requesting a price comparison or booking a meeting with our experts.

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