Innovation Protectors: Nurturing a culture of creativity at Rimac Technology

Given the pressures of technological innovation, nothing validates your efforts quite like having more active patent applications than every company in your country combined. Rimac Technology has over 70 inventors making our technology leading-edge, our components cost-effective, and our processes more efficient. Spearheading the protection of these assets is RT’s Intellectual Property Manager Branimir Pu?kari? and his IP team.

Navigating the patent landscape

In a hypercompetitive market, adeptly navigating the patent landscape can mean the difference between success and failure. That’s why so many companies spend so much time meticulously analyzing existing patents and conducting thorough research to avoid infringing on others' intellectual property rights. To help us maneuver in this complex space, Branimir Pu?kari? and the Rimac Technology IP team cover all five major areas of intellectual property: patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyrights, and trade secrets.

The role of patents in protecting innovations

Although Rimac Technology's IP team is part of the legal department, they work closely with engineers and technicians from all of our R&D teams across all departments. Having regular touchpoints with these teams helps our IP personnel identify the ideas or projects that need nurturing, whether it's finding a better way to reduce the weight of a component, optimize a battery module’s thermal control or developing a more cost-effective assembly process. This is when the process of patenting begins.

“It's an ongoing project. It's not a sprint — it's basically a marathon. We need to follow it in the long run, be patient and thorough.”

After a few meetings, patent engineers have a strong grasp on the ins and outs of the technology behind the new idea. The patent engineer's job is to then scour global databases with one goal in mind: to determine whether something like it already exists.

From idea to patent: the road to intellectual property rights

Once the patent engineer gives the green light, the patent application process kicks off, involving many hours of back-and-forth document writing. It begins with a 15–20-page patent application draft that covers the nitty-gritty details of the new technology, blending complex legal and engineering terminology and concepts that align with the inventors’ conception. The documentation is then filed with either the EPO (European Patent Office) or WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). Since Rimac Technology aims for global protections, we file patents, among other countries, in Europe, the USA, and even China.

The entire journey is a time-consuming process, which, from the initial application to publication and granting, can extend for more than three years. It’s also expensive, and can cost anywhere between €10,000 to €20,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the technology involved.

“We treat patents as company assets since they have quite a potential to provide revenue in the coming years. It's an investment in the long run.”

Although we can’t reveal the exact number of patent applications we’ve filed, Branimir shared that the growth trend is accelerating rapidly from humble beginnings and is in the “three digits” currently. Rimac Technology is proud to have over seventy of its employees who dedicate their time to work on patentable innovations, so we make sure to incentivize these inventors. Branimir and his IP team also organize Rimac IP Days, a series of internal intellectual property events where innovators receive awards for their hard work.

Behind the scenes: the IP team

There aren't many companies in Europe, let alone in Croatia, which have their own dedicated IP teams. Branimir has been on board for the past four years, with a mission to expand, nurture, and protect our growing IP portfolio. He also keeps a watchful eye on our internally developed technology, making sure it doesn't step on anyone else's toes. With his background as an attorney and a master's in IP law management, Branimir has put together a team of five experts who cover a diverse range of IP fields.

His team consists of three patent engineers: Abhishek Awasthi, Haris Had?iabdi? and Nigel Vincent. Part of the team are also Latica Lon?ari?, specializing in trademarks and designs, and Benjamin Sadri? specializing in licensing and open-source software.

"Building a team hasn't been an easy job," says Branimir. Intellectual property is a highly specialized area of law, a niche that is typically not included in standard law curriculum at universities. Not to mention patent engineers, who are often challenging to find and are frequently trained either abroad or internally by other companies.

The IP team members are true unsung heroes at Rimac Technology. Their dedication to protecting and nurturing innovations is a cornerstone of our success, ensuring that the company's creative spark continues to shine and drive progress in the automotive industry.

“What we value, protect, and nurture isn't just pure technological innovation; it's also any improvement, even if it can't be patented down the line. That's what holds value for us in the work environment.”