Patent translation – a patent-ial headache!

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Those of you who are fans of BBC’s Dragons’ Den, known by an array of different names across the world such as Die Höhle der Löwen in Germany and Shark Tank in the US, will be familiar with the format where contestants pitch their business ideas to several entrepreneurs. The contestants are then faced with fielding somewhat probing questions from their potential investors, the ‘dragons’, some of which may touch on the issue of ‘patents’.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the official grant of Britain’s first ever patent. But for those of you who are a little late to the patent party and want to know how they can help drive your business forward, listen up! Inventors can apply to the government for patents in order to prevent other competitors from bringing a similar invention to the market without permission, albeit for a restricted period. If successful, i.e. if patent protection is granted (by the Intellectual Property Office or IPO in the UK), the invention becomes the ‘property’ of the inventor.

If you are aiming to take the overseas markets by storm with your invention, it might be worth considering safeguarding of your intellectual property rights to the invention by applying for a European or global patent. In most cases, non-English speaking jurisdictions insist on patent applications being in the language required for examination and approval by the local patent office, meaning you will need to have your application translated.

Should you find yourself in this position, look no further as Surrey Translation Bureau might be just the answer to all of your patent-related prayers! Here at STB, we understand the ins and outs of filing patents so regardless of whether you need a description of the invention, an abstract or even a set of claims translated, we have a pool of highly specialised translators on hand to assist. Rest assured that we will go the extra mile to help you gain that all-important stamp of approval!