Valmet has a global customer base across various process industries. Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries, and with their automation and flow control solutions they serve an even wider base of process industries.
Valmet is an internationally recognized service provider and developer in the pulp, paper, and energy industries, offering a variety of process technology and automation solutions to its customers. The company has a history spanning over 220 years. Berggren has served as one of Valmet's IP partners, particularly in patent matters, for several decades.
Valmet's customers mainly operate in various sectors of the process industry, such as paper, paperboard, and pulp industries. – Our customers also include various process technology companies that utilize our automation systems and flow control solutions, summarizes Ari Malkasaari, Director, IPR, of Valmet Technologies Oy.
Ari Malkasaari, Director, IPR, of Valmet Technologies Oy
Patenting supports Valmet's mission
Valmet operates internationally, with production facilities not only in Finland but also in countries like Sweden, Italy, China, India, North America, and Brazil. Over its long history, Valmet has grown and acquired other companies in the field. The cooperation with Berggren began as early as the 1960s, stemming from an acquisition. Today, Berggren is one of Valmet's key IP partners.
– Currently, our cooperation with Berggren primarily focuses on patents, including drafting and processing of patent applications. This is very important to us. We invest over 100 million euros annually in product development, and we need a return on that investment. Without patents, our products could be copied. We would not invest nearly as much in product development if we could not protect the results of our R&D efforts, Malkasaari states.
– Valmet's mission is to be a technology leader, and being a technology leader means that others should not be able to copy the solutions we develop, Malkasaari adds.
More time for processing inventions and managing the patent portfolio
The drafting of a patent application typically begins with a joint kickoff meeting with Berggren, attended by a Berggren patent attorney, a Valmet patent engineer, and inventors. Together, they review the new invention and its details – what it is and what Valmet wishes to protect.
– We process inventions to the point where we know what we want to patent. Then we contact Berggren, and they jump into the process. Berggren drafts the patent application for us and files it with the patent office. We want to focus on processing inventions and managing the patent portfolio, rather than on the practicalities of filing and processing applications at the patent office. Once the patent is granted, Berggren’s project goal is achieved, says Malkasaari.
– We have our own IP personnel who are in charge of managing the patent portfolio. Cooperation with Berggren is a strategic choice for us. If we wanted to draft patent applications ourselves, we would need to hire experts for that. We have found that purchasing the service is the best way for us to operate, Malkasaari explains.
Berggren also supports in opposition processes
While the cooperation is somewhat project-based, contacts with Berggren, according to Malkasaari, take place virtually on a daily basis. In addition to patent applications, Berggren supports Valmet in opposition processes. When a patent is granted, an opposition period begins, during which objections can be raised against the granting of the patent. The opposition process proceeds through and is handled by the patent authority, such as the Finnish Patent and Registration Office, that granted the patent.
– Patents have a long history in our technology areas, and they are very important. Nearly every player has experienced what a patent dispute in, say, North America is like. As a result, everyone has adopted an attitude of avoiding intentional infringement of others' patents, keeping an eye on what others are doing and respecting others' patents. The assumption is that if we have a patent on something and a competitor starts selling a similar product, they don’t do it intentionally but may have material challenging our patent. In such cases, they may file an opposition against our patent when it is granted, Malkasaari explains.
Valmet handles a few oppositions per year, both against others' patents and against Valmet’s own patents. However, it is essential not to file an opposition unless there is clear material justifying the revocation of a patent.
– In patenting, the final scope of protection is always a challenge. For example, we may have previously assessed something to be unpatentable, but a few years later a competitor files a patent application for it and obtains a patent. In such a case, we have naturally had to request for revocation of the patent. In some cases, we have also succeeded in revoking the patent, Malkasaari recalls.
– We do not file an opposition unless we believe it to be useful. We know pretty well in advance what our chances are. It is not worthwhile to file an opposition unless you have adequate material. You would want to let sleeping dogs lie, Malkasaari smiles.
Long-term collaboration built on strong trust
According to Malkasaari, Valmet's patent strategy is defensive. Patent applications are filed to protect the new results and inventions of product development. In the future, as growth is likely to create new business areas, an IP portfolio will need to be built for these new areas as well.
– Of course, Valmet wants to grow and enter new business areas. We need to establish IP groundwork in those areas so that we can take control of the new segments, Malkasaari describes.
Over the long partnership, a strong level of trust has developed between Valmet and Berggren. One of the most important aspects of smooth cooperation, according to Malkasaari, is the expertise and high level of education of Berggren's patent attorneys. Several Berggren experts, specialized in different technology areas, work with Valmet.
– They have people who understand our technologies and have been drafting patent applications for us for many years. They know what it's about and what the client expects. This is important and doesn’t happen overnight – it's a long process. Our cooperation works well – communication is open, we tell them our needs, and they know how to work for us based on that. Naturally, we try to provide adequate instructions, but if the attorney finds that something needs further clarification, they reach out to confirm whether they have got it right, Malkasaari emphasizes.
– It is the technical expertise of Berggren's attorneys that is the key to everything. If you have a general technical education, you’ll eventually understand what our technology is about. However, it significantly speeds up the process if you’ve been trained in a specific technical field and immediately understand what’s at stake. From patent publications, you can directly see the state of the art and then recognize the invention. Our cooperation works well, Malkasaari concludes.
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