Arnold & Siedsma have been located at Pivot Park since the life science park’s inception. The specialist patent company helps start-ups and established companies to register and protect their intellectual property rights. “This is vital to obtain further financing and to continue to innovate” explains Petri van Someren, a partner in the company.

Patents stimulate innovation

Whether it’s an individual or an organisation, everyone benefits from a patent application.
“Our expertise includes assessing innovations, drafting and prosecuting patent and trademark applications, defending patent and trademark rights in the event of infringement and providing strategic and operational advice with regard to intellectual property. So we do not grant patents directly but we are authorised to apply for patents on behalf of companies, institutes and startups,” says Petri van Someren.

“A patent is a technical description of an invention with a number of claims attached to it, the claims are actually the ‘rights’ a company or individual wishes to obtain to have exclusive use or benefit from the idea or innovation. A patent prevents other parties from copying or imitating your invention.”

“The patent system exists to stimulate innovation,” emphasises Petri’s colleague, Jerre Edens. “It’s a temporary monopoly in exchange for making your invention public. Every patent application is published eighteen months after submission and the invention disclosed therein can become a source of inspiration for competitors or other inventors.

“They are not allowed to apply the invention during the period that a patent is in force but they can see how others have solved problems and developed the invention. Timing is really important when you apply for a patent. It shouldn’t be too late and not too early. ‘When to apply’ is a specific area in which we advise companies.”

Advice and expertise across all key sectors.
Arnold & Siedsma has the in-house knowledge of almost all the innovative sectors with a focus on mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and life sciences specifically. “We have a patent attorney for every invention & application. They are assigned based on their specialism in the applicant’s field,” says Van Someren. She herself has a background as a molecular biologist. “I come from Oss and grew up with Organon, I even did an internship there. I felt involved in the development of Pivot Park from the start and wanted to be part of this community with our company.”

Initially, the number of patent applications was rather low as most companies were just starting up and the park had quite a number of service companies. Arnold & Siedsma mainly provided lectures and consultation hours in this period. The company now handles patent applications for and provides advise to clients located at the park.

To increase awareness and convince startups of the importance of a patent application, Arnold & Siedsma regularly give presentations and lectures at Pivot Park. Jerre Edens also has a background as a molecular biologist and is responsible for establishing contacts with potential clients in the science park. “I want to show what we can do for them. Investors want to safeguard their investments and IP can help therewith.” Looking ahead, the company wants to stay at Pivot Park.

“We want to remain part of this community, it’s where we meet clients and learn about new developments. But as our areas of focus develop so do the locations from which we operate, so this office is regularly empty which is a shame about the space,” notes Van Someren. “We are currently considering a flexible office solution and wish to contribute to the specialist growth and development of Pivot Park. We’re currently investigating how best to achieve this.”

Arnold & Siedsma was founded in 1920. It’s one of the largest specialist patent and trademark offices in the Benelux with over 140 employees of which fifty are specialists in the field of Intellectual Property (IP). The company has a variety of specialists in-house with knowledge of virtually all innovative sectors, from biotechnology and pharmaceuticals to trademark law and copyright, Arnold & Siedsma has offices in The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. At Pivot Park, the company has been part of the community from the beginning.

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