IPscore: a tool for evaluating and managing patents

One of the initiatives set out in the SME Support Plan of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office is to provide access to tools for managing a company's intangible assets.

A few months ago, the SPTO incorporated the English version of IPscore into its webpage, a self-diagnostic tool originally developed by the Danish Patent Office and subsequently acquired by the European Patent Office (EPO).

With the objective of complementing and facilitating the use of IPscore, the SPTO has made the necessary adaptations in order to offer this tool in Spanish to SME's and our users in general.

IPscore can assist Industrial Property service providers, such as Regional Industrial Property Information Centers and small and mid-sized enterprises, in evaluating models and patent portfolios.

IPscore is:

• A tool based on Microsoft Access for evaluating and managing patents

• A service for promoting dialogue on patents within society

• A guide for identifying possible benefits and opportunities for reducing costs

IPscore can be used to evaluate:

• specific patents

• patented technologies

• R & D projects, even when a patent still doesn't exist

• Ideas and project proposals

IPscore is composed of:

• 40 scoring factors

• Predefined values which help guide answers