The impact of law firm size on patent quality: the balance between flexibility and systematicity

Patent quality is undoubtedly crucial for all parties involved in patent application and protection. A recent study, based on Patentbot's annual quality rankings, delved into the complex relationship between law firm/patent agency size and patent quality. The study, covering 314,000 patents from April 2024 to March 2025, leveraged machine learning to analyze the data and uncover key factors influencing patent quality.

Research Background and Methods

This study examines three objectively detectable patent errors within patent specifications: numbering errors, preamble errors, and supporting term errors. The study attempts to assess the quality performance of various law firms/patent agencies using quantitative scores. The study targets law firms with at least 50 patents granted in a given year, further categorized by size (small, medium, and large).

Main findings and analysis

• Small law firms/patent agencies dominate the high-quality rankings
  • Among the top 10, small firms dominate the high-quality rankings, bolstered by their flexibility and personalized service. This phenomenon demonstrates that size is not the sole determining factor in patent prosecution and quality management. This suggests that, under appropriate management, small firms, with their more personalized processes, can surpass the quality performance limitations of larger firms.
• Quality Fluctuations of Small Law Firms/Patent Agencies
  • However, small law firms can also fall into the trap of fluctuating quality, with a higher proportion of their output concentrated in the low-quality range. This volatility deserves the attention of small law firms, who need to continuously refine their processes and management methods to ensure stable, high-quality output.

Overall relationship between size and average quality

• The survey results show that large law firms/patent agencies generally have higher average quality due to their systematic management, but if small law firms/patent agencies can make up for their lack of resources, they can still perform well in the quality competition.

This research reveals that process quality is central to the success of patent filings. All law firms and patent agencies, regardless of size, must strike the right balance between process standardization and flexibility. Furthermore, leveraging technology, such as automated proofreading systems, to support continuous quality improvement is a highly forward-looking strategic option.

(This article is excerpted from the IPWATACHDOG blog "Size Matters: How Law Firm Size Relates to Patent Quality", original author: Jeff O'Neill, view link:Size Matters: How Law Firm Size Relates to Patent Quality - IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law Size Matters: How Law Firm Size Relates to Patent Quality )