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Audi’s patently ingenious adverts 03 September, 2007 Audi’s patently ingenious adverts Most people appear to be somewhat intrigued by Audi’s recent global ad campaign in which the manufacturer states that in developing cars such as the S6 sedan it has filed more patents than NASA. This was done in an obvious bid to bolster their enduring “Vorsprung durch Technik” motto, which, in the minds of the executives at Audi, is brought to bear by the number of patent applications filed at international patent offices since Audi’s inception. In an attempt to put their engineering accomplishments with the S6 into perspective for the general public and punters, Audi claims to have filed 9,621 patent applications up to or during the development of the S6, which is 3112 more than NASA has filed for their space programme to date. After all, if the rather intrepid souls at NASA could put a man on the moon nearly 40 years ago, then they most likely have a lot to add to the field of engineering and certainly seem to know what they’re doing in the high technology stakes, give or take a few mishaps in the past. In addition, they have a near limitless budget to spend on patent applications and the like and they certainly try to spend most of it annually, much to the delight of patent attorneys across the globe. Seen against this background, surely Audi’s accomplishment must at least rival that of placing a man on the moon? Having filed three times as many patents as NASA certainly makes the people at mission control look somewhat folksy when compared to the clan from Ingolstadt. It begs the question of why the first man on the moon didn’t say “Eine kleine step for man…” or something to that effect. So, why aren’t the Germans sending up their astronauts in Audis? Truth be told, there is more to Audi’s claim than the mere recitation of dizzyingly large numbers. When the name “Audi” as patentee is typed into international patent databases, about 8800 hits are obtained, which is somewhat less than that stated by Audi, but which in all fairness does not include patents filed in countries which are not part of these databases, and which most likely make up the balance. These figures are, however, somewhat misleading, in that most patents are filed in groups of so-called “patent families”, based on certain basic inventions – therefore, 10 000 or more actual patent applications may in some cases stem from only 200 or 300 original inventions which are then filed as individual patent applications in 30 or 40 countries. Much more interesting though, is that a patent search through the same patent database reveals that BMW has filed nearly twice as many patent applications as Audi. Over 19 000 in fact, but once again in many countries of the world. It may be argued that BMW is older and has been filing patent applications for longer than Audi, but given that relatively few patent applications were filed by either of these entities before the 1950’s, the above figures make for some thought-provoking reading. A further search for patents in which Porsche is listed shows that Porsche AG has filed more than 10 000 patent applications, quite remarkable given that they produce far less vehicles than either BMW or Audi. In addition, Porsche has latched on to the idea of outsourcing their engineering skills which, rather interestingly, resulted in two patent applications in 1995 and 1997 for forklifts, of all things. This was due to a collaboration with forklift manufacturers Linde AG. Sadly, Ferrari appears not to have kept pace, but then again it may be argued that much of their research budgets go into Formula 1, a field in which inventions and improvements are quick and short-lived, to be replaced or improved on season upon season and not justifying the expense of filing patent applications. Whatever the reason, Ferrari S.p.A. has only filed 270 patent applications when searching in the same period. A quick search, however, reveals thousands of patent applications in the name of Ferrari, which upon further inspection turns out to be inventions filed in the name of individuals with that surname and who are quite unrelated to the outfit from Maranello. Patent databases are a simply amazing source of information and can provide a glimpse of what may be powering our cars in future. For example, a recent (2007) Ferrari patent application relates to a rather clumsily titled High Performance Car with Streamline Configuration-Altering Jets. The drawings show what appear to be a Ferrari road car with front-mounted cooling ducts for altering ground-force effects at high speed. When or how this technology will be used by Ferrari remains an open question, but it will most certainly find its way to a road car in the future. As regards NASA – well, they have filed well over 7 000 patent applications that are available for viewing on patent databases, which is good going for a governmental organization with a rather limited field of competitors. After all, not many of us are in the rocket-building or space exploration business. It should be borne in mind, however, that not all patent applications are easy to track down with a database search and many applications may also be filed in the names of sister-companies or subsidiaries. However, given that most corporations keep their intellectual property in a single company, these figures are most likely representative of the amount of new, incremental, technological developments finding their way into today’s vehicles. What is interesting, though, is that many of these technologies are licensed by the patentees to other motor manufacturers, leading to a diffusion of the technology which is funded by royalty fees. Looking at the above, it appears as if the days of the intrepid inventor tinkering away in his backyard are long gone. This is not the case, as many weird and wonderful inventions are patented by individuals every year. It does, however, provide one with a whole new perspective as to how many engineering and technological advances are powered by our desire to travel in faster, safer, and more efficient vehicles. * Patent searches can be done free of charge through the European Patent Office website, or the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website. See ep.espacenet.com or www.wipo.org. Carel Smit is a patent attorney, car enthusiast, and founding director of Smit & Van Wyk Intellectual Property Attorneys in South Africa. SA Patent Law News Category : General News | Article #35 viewed 1581 times. Home | Blog | South African Patents | Foreign Agents | Designs | Trademarks | Copyright | Biotech | Software | News | IP Tax | Contact us | Sitemap | Links |Foreign Patents  | Marketing  | SEO © 2005 - 2007 Smit & Van Wyk Patent Attorneys