In a context where intellectual property (IP) plays an increasingly central role in corporate innovation and competitiveness strategies, budget management related to IP is becoming critical. Yet it remains too often overlooked or handled in a rudimentary way, relying on unsuitable tools, fragmented visibility, and limited forward planning.
At PI Motion we meet every week with IP, legal, R&D, or innovation managers who face the same reality: anticipating, planning, and simulating IP management costs is difficult. Decisions are made under pressure, budgets are strained, and the IP portfolio—despite being strategic—remains undervalued and underutilized.
This article aims to take a deeper look at the challenges of forecasting IP-related costs, the limitations of current solutions, and the benefits of a simple, reliable, and integrated approach, such as the one offered by PI Planner.
IP Budget forecasting: a difficult but necessary exercise
Intellectual property is no longer a secondary cost center. It is a significant, ongoing investment, often complex to justify and to properly value.
Among the main challenges identified:
- The lack of a consolidated view of costs associated with different IP rights (patents, trademarks, designs).
- The difficulty of simulating the budgetary impact of a geographic extension, an abandonment, or a change in strategy.
- The need to produce clear, shareable reporting for all relevant departments: management, legal, or finance.
- Data that is often fragmented or only partially used across tools, Excel spreadsheets, advisor platforms, and emails.
All this results in a loss of time, efficiency, and sometimes even errors in portfolio management. The decision to maintain or abandon a right may be misguided due to incomplete or inaccurate information.
The consequence: the IP team struggles to demonstrate the value of its work and recommendations. And IP budgets become more vulnerable due to a lack of proper anticipation.
Existing IP tools often unsuitable for your company’s needs
Several major IP management software providers now offer budget forecasting modules.
But feedback from in-house IP managers is consistent:
- Heavy and complex solutions, designed for firms or experts, poorly suited for cross-department usage.
- Interfaces that are difficult to master, requiring training and extensive configuration.
- Tools that are rarely used on a daily basis by R&D, innovation, or operational teams.
- Budget data reliability that users often find imperfect.
- And above all: high costs for features that are sometimes oversized and underused.
These tools meet the needs of law firms or highly structured legal departments in large corporations, but not always the reality of companies that require agility, clarity, and efficiency.
So how can you manage your intellectual property rights as accurately and effectively as possible?
PI Planner: a simple, reliable, user-focused solution to manage your IP
“To provide IP managers with a clear, useful, strategic, and easily accessible view of their portfolio and its budgetary implications.”
Our new cost-projection module directly addresses the needs expressed by our users:
- Dynamic estimation of future costs, by type of right, by country, by family, etc.
- Scenario simulations: extension, abandonment.
- Visual, understandable reporting that can be shared with management or partners.
- Native integration within the PI Planner platform, for a truly all-in-one solution.
- A simple and intuitive interface, without the need for complex training.
And above all:
- A sovereign solution
- A long-lasting platform, proven for more than 10 years and continuously evolving.
- A practical, flexible, enterprise-oriented tool designed for in-house IP managers
Why IP cost forecasting has become essential
In a context of rising costs, increasingly complex procedures, and growing reporting requirements, companies can no longer afford to manage their IP portfolio blindly. You need to be able to make informed decisions.
Anticipating expenses, justifying investments, prioritizing strategically: all of this requires a solid understanding of your IP management and a clear, up-to-date grasp of current and future costs.
This is exactly what PI Planner enables, with a module designed to be operational, agile, and reliable—featuring clear, immediately actionable indicators.
The conclusion?
To manage your IP effectively, don’t let complex tools undermine your decisions
It’s time to move away from blind decision-making and adopt an IP tool that is properly sized for your specific needs.
A company’s IP assets are far too strategic to be managed with outdated, fragmented, or difficult-to-use data. Budget forecasting shouldn’t be a burden—it should be a decision-making lever that helps you manage your IP as efficiently as possible.
In short, allocating your IP budget wisely today means ensuring the profitability of your assets and sustainably protecting your rights for the future.
With PI Planner, you gain visibility, responsiveness, and reliability.
To learn more and discover our IP solution, take action:
√ I get in touch with via linkedin Ingrid Duquet via linkedin
√ I want to see a demo of PI Planner