Patent prosecution can be frustratingly complicated, and the USPTO has created special programs to reign in the usual chaos. Knowing these programs, their purpose, and their success rate can hugely benefit your patent practice.

This past year, we’ve seen our industry innovate and adapt like never before. Time and time again, we talk to clients and colleagues who are discovering innovative ways to streamline budgets without sacrificing quality patent work. Our latest updates are designed to help you in these endeavors – adding greater speed and insight to our already easy-to-use analytics platform. Here is a quick summary of our exciting new features:

As we near the end of a tumultuous year, IP managers and patent attorneys are more conscious than ever of their bottom line.

In our analysis, we found that the First Action Interview Pilot Program (FAIPP) may not result in a faster prosecution, but it is effective in reaching an allowance with fewer office actions.

We are in the middle of a professional paradigm shift - adapting to the new normal of a fully or partially remote workforce. This could be the motivation the patent industry needs to fully lean into the possibilities of legal technology.

Patent prosecution is expensive and complex. And often, each individual practitioner has their own unique approach to reach that all-important NOA. But inconsistent practices and reliance solely on past experience can lead to inflated costs.

As legal tech revolutionizes the industry, offering new avenues for speed, accuracy, and quality assurance in legal work, often, one roadblock remains - the budget-minded CFO.

Procrastination. We all do it. In-house counsel do it, OCs do it, and USPTO examiners do it. In fact, some examiners procrastinate a lot.

Now is not the time to be idle. There are plenty of steps in-house IP departments can take now to ensure team productivity, strategic budgeting, and a strong patent portfolio.

With budgets tightening and department priorities shifting, now is the time for companies to evaluate outside legal counsel.