With continuing globalization of the energy economy, numerous
trends are emerging with respect to intellectual property,
including a steady increase in the number of U.S. patents filed in
the traditional oil and gas sector since 2000, from just under 600
that year to more than 1,200 in 2012.
One important strategy change stems from the fast track filing
system now available in the U.S.
"A typical filing strategy in the industry used to involve
filing first in the home country with Patent Cooperation Treaty
(PCT) and non-PCT filings one year later. Multiple inventions might
be included in one filing with the most commercially valuable
pursued first and then follow-up applications. The typical time for
a patent to be granted via this route in the U.S. may be 38 months
or more," explained
Greg Porter.
