Patents – which countries to file in?

1. List key markets in size order.
2. Add countries where competitors will manufacture.
3. Add other particularly important countries for logistics – eg. is there a country that everyone will have to transit through?
4. Review and reorder the list based on overall strategic importance with the above factors in mind.
5. Get a quote from your patent attorney or a specialist national phase entry firm (if you’d previously filed a PCT).
6. Go down the list until you hit your budget limit.

Done

[This post originally appeared at duncanbucknell.com.]