Smart AI automation in IP management

Just like websites, smartphones, and open-source software dramatically changed our modern era, artificial intelligence (AI) is an irreversible trend that will transform every aspect of society – from industries and the workforce to daily life and the environment. AI will also boost economic growth by accelerating tasks across all sectors, from data analysis in finance to drug discovery in medicine. Some experts estimate that AI could increase global GDP by trillions of dollars over the next decade.

It will absolutely change the way intellectual property (IP) is created, managed, and monetized.

By automating time-consuming and repetitive tasks and providing data-driven insights, AI embedded within the latest IP management systems will transition IP practices from administrative centers to strategic business drivers.  The integration of AI technologies, particularly the latest GenAI models, will reshape the entire IP management lifecycle by increasing efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making.

Invention discovery

The birth of a patent or trade secret often resides in unstructured data – brainstorming notes, communications app messages, technical discussions, and emails. Invention disclosure drafting and submission is the first step in the IP lifecycle. It’s difficult to initially catalogue, but AI-powered IP management systems will automate and streamline this critical process, while uncovering and highlighting hidden gems to R&D leads and IP managers.

Modern IP solutions will leverage the latest AI models to continuously scan internal communication channels such as email threads, meeting transcripts, and other forms of work product. They can be trained to identify keywords, technical descriptions, and problem-solution statements that indicate a potential innovation or inventive concept.

Once a potential invention is flagged, the IP management platform can automatically extract concepts, key technical features, names of potential inventors, and the date of conception. It can then be leveraged to pre-populate a draft patent application, significantly reducing the time engineering and scientific teams spend on administrative steps and paperwork.

Determining patentability

Traditionally, searching through billions of patent documents and non-patent literature to determine an invention’s novelty was a slow, expensive, and somewhat inaccurate or indefinite process.  AI-powered IP platforms will scan global databases, in multiple languages, in a fraction of the time a human can. They can also use semantic analysis to understand concepts rather than just keywords.  Automated claim charting and feature extraction can significantly reduce the time IP professionals take to map a patent application’s claims against existing prior art, providing a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of patentability.

Drafting and prosecution

Generative AI and advanced NLP are streamlining the creation and prosecution of IP applications. AI can assist in drafting patent applications, legal claims, and trademark goods and services – ensuring consistency, technical accuracy, and adherence to legal standards – drastically reducing the time spent on administrative tasks and quite a bit of repetitive and mundane attorney tasks as well.  AI can also be leveraged to analyze the historical context of office actions and examiner behavior to suggest the most effective and data-backed response strategies, accelerating the prosecution process.

Trademark and brand protection

AI is making it easier and faster for modern IP platforms to monitor and enforce brand rights in an increasingly complex global marketplace. Such platforms can compare new and existing trademarks based on visual appearance, sound, and meaning. They can quickly spot potential conflicts and infringement risks during clearance and registration. Additionally, image recognition and NLP could be used to provide real-time enforcement of online marketplaces, social media, and domain names to spot trademark and copyrighted material infringement.

IP portfolio management

Administrative and compliance activities associated with maintaining an IP portfolio are one of the most resource-intensive areas, and where an AI-powered IP management system provides a significant ROI. As part of an IP management system, AI-driven docketing systems will be able to automatically read and process correspondence from Patent and Trademark Offices (PTOs) worldwide, extracting metadata and putting it into the IP management system. This will eliminate hours of data entry, reduce the risk of missing deadlines due to human error, and ensure accuracy.

Navigating the complex map of dynamic global IP laws is challenging. AI-powered IP management systems will constantly monitor and update their internal rules to reflect legal changes across multiple jurisdictions. This allows for automatic compliance checks and ensures the validity of a portfolio, regardless of location, mitigating the risk of non-compliance.

An AI-powered IP management system will generate renewal reminders for patents and trademarks across multiple countries and standardize the formatting and review of large legal documents. It will handle the repetitive administrative tasks, freeing up IP professionals for more strategic work. Additionally, AI capabilities will conduct real-time audits of the system’s data, detecting discrepancies between documents, identifying missing files, and correcting errors.

AI-powered IP management systems will augment IP professionals

The future of IP management isn’t about AI replacing human expertise. It’s to augment IP professionals, freeing them from the time-consuming, transactional tasks. The technology’s benefits – increased speed, reduced costs, and improved accuracy – make its widespread adoption a strategic imperative for any organization serious about protecting and monetizing its IP.  By handling high-volume, repetitive, and data-intensive tasks, AI-powered IP management systems will enable IP professionals to focus more on high-value, strategic work.