What patent examiners actually want to see in your application (Carl Hamsten) | Talk IP to me Ep. 8

Carl Hamsten is a patent examiner, specialised in biotechnology at the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV) and is also connected to PRV Consulting, which provides patent search services including novelty searches, FTOs, and validity searches.

In this episode, Carl joins David Breitenbach (CCO, PatentRenewal.com) to explain what patent examiners actually do, how inventors can prepare stronger patent applications, why novelty searches matter much earlier than most people think, and what Sweden gets right when it comes to innovation, research, and IP awareness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

◼️ What a patent examiner actually does day to day

◼️ What PRV Consulting does - and the one thing it deliberately doesn't do

◼️ How to prepare a strong application before you even file

◼️ Why a novelty search is one of the most underused tools in an innovator's arsenal

◼️ How patent information can help with R&D, market research, and competitor mapping

◼️ What makes a patent application stronger from an examiner’s perspective

◼️ Why Sweden ranks #2 in WIPO's Global Innovation Index

◼️ What the "teacher's exemption" is and why it fuels Swedish life science

◼️ Why treating a patent as a checkbox is the most common mistake Carl sees

00:00 Intro

01:08 What Carl actually does as a patent examiner - and what PRV Consulting is

03:08 What happens when an application lands on Carl's desk

05:12 Why examiners want to grant strong patents - not just reject

06:27 How to prepare before filing - and why novelty searches matter early

09:03 How patent search results help R&D, strategy, and competitor mapping

11:27 The challenge of searching through 160 million patent documents

13:13 How PRV works with EPO tools and databases

14:13 Sweden as a country of innovation

16:31 The teacher's exemption and why it matters in Sweden

18:38 Biotech success stories and university spinouts

20:24 Why IP education should start earlier in universities

22:44 Novelty, inventiveness, and what applicants need to prove

24:49 Rapid fire: the best and worst parts of being a patent examiner

26:00 The IP myth Carl would retire forever

27:43 Why raising IP awareness earlier matters - and why publishing too early can hurt you

30:35 Should you start nationally or go straight to PCT/EPO?

33:01 Carl's final message: IP should always be on the table

Follow Carl

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-hamsten-3979451/

PRV - Swedish Intellectual Property Office

https://www.prv.se/en/

PRV Consulting

https://www.prv.se/en/prv-consulting/

Join PatentRenewal.com’s circle on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/patentrenewalcom

Follow David:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-breitenbach/

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Our website: https://patentrenewal.com/

About us

At PatentRenewal.com, we believe IP renewals should be simple, transparent, and stress-free. We care about innovation and about making IP easier to understand and easier to use.

That’s why we created Talk IP to me, the podcast that brings fresh conversations to the world of intellectual property.

In each episode, innovators, IP experts, founders, and legal minds share real stories, hard-won lessons, and practical insights you can actually apply in your work.

Our goal is simple: make IP feel human, practical, and accessible.