Integrated into the administration system IP Master, we offer in collaboration with our partner company Mater Data Center Inc. an annuity payment service. This service comprises the payment of authorised annuity fees for your patent portfolio. The service fee is dependent on the number of payments made for your organisation and on the length of a contract you want to sign with us.
Our partner company Master Data Center, Inc. is the largest service provider in the area of annuity service providers in the USA. With over 20 years of experience in this area you can be sure, that your payments are processed correctly and in time. This service is save, simple, reliable and eliminates the regular paper work.
Using this service, you remove workload from yourself, which otherwise costs you more money as if you would source out your payments. You make time available which you can spend for more important tasks.
Replace all your patent annuity payments with one check to MDC each quarter and free up yourself from otherwise necessary paperwork with one single signature. To facilitate your internal book keeping, we offer listings of those payments made in a way that you can charge your internal clients according to their portfolio. Your workload is reduced drastically this way!
As payments are processed and receipts are received, MDC will match each receipt to the corresponding payment to ensure the payment has been applied accurately. MDC also follows up with the agents and Patent Offices on a monthly basis when receipts are not returned in a timely manner. Receipts are returned to you monthly, in bulk, along with a report summarising the status of each receipt.
The Annuity Payment department will follow-up on agent inquiries, reminders, data discrepancies, reconciliations and other routine questions at no additional charge.
With an experienced staff and a multi-million dollar in-house payment processing system, Master Data Center processes today’s data using tomorrow’s technology. MDC's annuity staff are all patent annuity professionals. The large volume of payments attract the highest quality international patent agents. Therefore the most reliable, most effective agents are engaged to represent your needs in their country. Utilizing the services of Master Data Center will reduce the overall level of technical expertise required in-house. As a result, the risk associated with the turnover or the loss of a key employee is eliminated. MDC has been in the business of making patent annuity payments for nearly 30 years.
Together with you, we develop a payment process which best fits your organisation's unique needs. Multiple options with respect to decision schedules, payment plans, exchange rates, and reporting ensure that your requirements are met. Although we pay in bulk, we are still very flexible when it comes to individual payments. If you change your mind on a particular patent or group of patents, MDC will make every effort to stop a payment that has not been sent out, seek a refund for a payment that has gone out, and apply a payment that is late.
MDC
pays direct to foreign Patent and Trademark Offices whenever possible,
thereby eliminating costly agent fees. When an agent is involved, our
large volume of payments entitles us to substantial discounts. These cost
savings are passed directly on to you. Furthermore, MDC's service fee is
based upon your volume. The greater the volume, the smaller the fee.
MDC keeps close watch on rumours of impending official fee increases.
Whenever possible, we will pay cases early (with your approval) to beat
the fee increase. Last year alone, MDC reacted quickly in the U.S.,
France, Great Britain, Australia and Greece to save our clients over $1.5
million in fees.
We have assisted many clients and prospective clients in performing cost/benefits
analyses to determine whether or not to outsource the patent annuity
payment function through MDC. In virtually every case, substantial cost
savings were recognised.
You may download an information brochure which describes our annuity payment service in more details from here in PDF Format.