Docketing Automation: What Is It and What Does It Mean for IP Leaders?
ドケッティング (案件管理)
11月 15, 2023
Docketing automation frees IP docketing teams from repetitive tasks to focus on high-value IP operational challenges and solutions. In this new blog, Fernando Maiques, Senior Director and Head of the AQX® IP management platform at Anaqua, describes what it is, what are the benefits, and what this means for the IP industry.
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What is Docketing Automation?
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What Challenges do IP Operations Teams Face?
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What are the Main Benefits of Docketing Automation?
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Data Review and Validation – Why It's Still Paramount
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Why Docketing Automation is a Shift for the IP Industry
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How AQX Streamlines IP Operations Processes
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Leading the Way in Docketing Automation
What is Docketing Automation?
Docketing automation is a very broad term used in the market today and means different things to our clients. Ultimately, the objective is to avoid manual docketing, automate routine, repetitive tasks and processes and manage data more effectively. This will reduce the administrative burden on your IP operations team. Additionally, docketing automation supports IP operations teams by automating data collection processes, rather than manually gathering information from different partners – whether from PTO offices or clients.
What Challenges Do IP Operations Teams Face?
The USTPO, EPO, EUIPO, and WIPO have more than 400 types of documents they can send to you depending on what part of the IP lifecycle you are handling. Almost always, if your patent is granted, during the lifecycle of the patent, you will receive multiple notifications from publication to issue. During prosecution, an examiner can issue different correspondences requiring different response methods.
Patent and trademark teams are looking for more effective ways to manage the volume of these forms and the data they need to docket, review, and respond to every day. Our clients want to shift their focus towards high-level work, solving fascinating problems, and breaking free from spreadsheets and repetitive tasks. That's where the docketing automation capabilities in AQX Law Firm and AQX Corporate come in.
What Are the Main Benefits of Docketing Automation?
For the IP operations team, it's all about maximizing impact, saving time, and boosting efficiency.
Take the filing receipt: This is one of the simplest IP documents, yet requires manual entry for six or seven data points. Manually processing this single document could take 3 minutes. In the AQX IP management platform, this form can be processed in 10 seconds or less.
Processing and storing your data in a single, standardized place is crucial when reviewing and reporting docketing activities. Automating IP docketing activities means every task is always done the same way. In addition, it enhances accuracy and gives IP operations the confidence to provide reliable data back to the business.
Data Review and Validation – Why It's Still Paramount
There is a perception that docketing automation involves relinquishing control of your data. In reality, the key to unlocking the full potential of docketing automation is taking a proactive approach to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
Organizations can minimize errors, enhance efficiency, and maintain full control over the data that enters their IP management software by validating, completing, and correcting data before processing, In a world where data accuracy and compliance are paramount, docketing automation capabilities in AQX are an invaluable ally in achieving these goals.
Why Docketing Automation is a Shift for the IP Industry
Docketing patents and trademarks and managing the associated deadlines and tasks are time-consuming, involve numerous manual steps to review and verify correct data, and could put an organization’s most valuable assets at risk if managed incorrectly.
One of the main questions IP operations leaders and administrators ask us is how to manage the volume of transactions more effectively. The transformation that has taken place in the banking industry is staggering. The banking industry conducts billions of transactions every day. Typically, you don’t send a letter to your bank and ask them to make a payment. Most payments are electronic, and you spend little time considering these transactions. People are accustomed to digital banking and take it for granted.
Docketing automation is a fundamental shift for the IP industry. It involves managing large volumes of data and some of the most valuable assets of a business. IP teams have long-established and tested processes for reviewing documents, extracting data, storing patent information in their docketing software, and validating that the information is correct. As IP operations teams start incorporating more automation into their practices, they see how much more they can achieve. They are becoming more confident in embracing automation.
How AQX Streamlines IP Operations Processes
Below are a few of the docketing automation capabilities in AQX. This is an area that is evolving quickly at Anaqua. In addition, there will be new developments soon for patent and trademark teams:
- Increase productivity with auto-processing of PTO correspondences with the four largest PTO offices (US, WIPO, EU, and Japan), including an integration with the USPTO TSDR for trademarks
- Streamline IDS processes by easily importing prior art with Microsoft Azure AI Document Intelligence
- Eliminate the need for double docketing and automate IP data exchange between your law firm and your clients with Anaqua Connect®
- Coming soon: Better docket response deadlines with enhanced document auto-processing, which will open, read, process, and docket the contents of PTO correspondences
- Coming soon: Review and validate documents before being docketed in the new Validation Screen
Leading the Way in Docketing Automation
For over a decade, Anaqua's clients have shared their numerous challenges in making docketing processes more efficient. Today, with AI and machine learning advances, we can leverage these technological advances into intellectual property management.
Through close collaboration with Anaqua’s Client Community, we have developed new automated docketing capabilities in AQX Law Firm and AQX Corporate tailored to our clients’ needs and challenges.
Simplifying our clients’ work and the collaboration with clients motivates me and what sets AQX apart as the leading IP management platform.
In the upcoming AQX 11 release of AQX Law Firm IP platform and AQX Corporate IP platform, many of the PTO forms that IP operations teams use daily will be automatically processed. Docketing Automation is a top priority for Anaqua’s clients. It is the key area we’ve been investing in and delivering as part of our recent releases. Anaqua is leading the way in innovative docketing solutions to free up your team to focus on your most critical work.
Resources:
- Learn more about AQX Law Firm
- Learn more about Anaqua's Law Firm Client Community
- Read our related blog on Digital Transformation and what it means for your firm
- Learn more about AQX Corporate
- Evolve your IP Operations with Docketing Automation
Written by Fernando Maiques, Senior Director and Head of the AQX® IP management platform.
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