GlobalIPCo – Specialised IP management system for Africa
About the GlobalIPCo system
GlobalIPCo is an intellectual property (IP) management system that focusses on African countries, filing about 5,000 applications per year for +3,000 registered users (including +130 Chinese law firms).
The GlobalIPCo system includes the following modules:
| Module | Description |
|---|---|
| Client-side user interface | Used by clients to: upload cases; and instruct filing, publication, responses to office action and courier |
| Agent-side user interface | Used by agents to: file cases; and report filing, office actions, acceptance, publication and grant |
| Invoicing and payment | Invoices clients, tracks payments and pays agents |
| Reminder | Automates reminders to clients, agents and IP offices |
| Document processing | “Reads” journals, acceptance notices and certificates to update the system and report to clients automatically |
| Courier | Groups certificates, creates waybills, communicates with the courier company and tracks courier of documents |
| Renewal | Instructs and updates renewals and migrates records to the PayAnnuity renewal system via API |
| Reports | Generates custom reports |
| Document generator | Generates all documents required for submission to IP Offices |
| Generates custom emails for reporting to clients, agents and IP offices | |
| Client support | Deals with queries from clients |
The system integrates as much as possible with the IP Offices in which it files and is the largest filer of South African patents (2022-2025).
Agents that use the GlobalIPCo system merely need to click buttons and upload documents. They are not required to:
- create documents for submission to IP offices (e.g. for filing);
- report to or communicate with clients;
- generate invoices to clients;
- track payment from clients;
- track deadlines;
- send reminders;
- deal directly with client queries;
- negotiate terms and pricing with clients; or
- arrange courier.
Adding new services
The GlobalIPCo system currently includes the following services:
- South African patents
- South African trademarks
- South African designs
- Nigerian patents
- Nigerian trademarks
- OAPI trademarks
- (German utility models)
- (EU designs)
It typically takes about 7 months to add a new service to the system, as the system needs to be developed to cater for the specific processes, rules and timelines.
Appointment of agents
After identifying a new service to be developed, GlobalIPCo selects a suitable agent in the country. Typically, the agent is a firm with whom GlobalIPCo or S&Z (its primary South African agent) has previously worked.
GlobalIPCo aims to appoint only one agent per service.
The selected agent benefits from:
- the efficiency of the GlobalIPCo IP management system (without charge);
- access to GlobalIPCo’s existing market and clients (without charge);
- GlobalIPCo marketing to law firms worldwide (without charge);
- preferential access to other GlobalIPCo services; and
- permission to offer SANi combination patents and trademarks at a fixed price.
By extending preferential access to other GlobalIPCo services, each GlobalIPCo agent is able to extend its service offering across Africa at far lower rates than other African IP firms, making the agent the most competitive IP firm in their country.
GlobalIPCo agents form a close team that cross-sell services and assist each other to market.
Future developments
Over the next couple of years, the GlobalIPCo system will extend across Africa. The goal is to reduce the professional cost of each African:
- trademark application (filing to grant) to less than $200; and
- trademark renewal to less than $80.
In parallel, GlobalIPCo is developing watching searches across its territories to enable clients effectively to monitor and enforce their trademarks across Africa.
Collaboration
GlobalIPCo is looking to collaborate closely with:
- a EU/UK IP firm; and
- a US IP firm,
that see potential in extending their footprint into Africa using technology instead of by acquiring brick and mortar firms.
GlobalIPCo is fully self-funded, but seeks strategic partners in the EU/UK and the US.