Project Overview
A UK patent attorney firm managing 4,800 active patent and trademark cases across 60 jurisdictions needed to r...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK patent attorney firm managing 4,800 active patent and trademark cases across 60 jurisdictions needed to replace their legacy Inprotech (IP management software, 2009 version) with a modern platform. EPO (European Patent Office) and UKIPO API integration for patent status and deadline tracking, WIPO Madrid System for trademark management, AnnuitiesPayment (IPRenewal) for automated renewal payment, and SRA-compliant matter management were mandatory. Budget: £120,000.
Our Approach
EPO OPS API Integration
European Patent Office Open Patent Services (OPS)
API
patent bibliographic data, legal status (grant, refusal, withdrawal, lapse), family data (all patent family members across jurisdictions), and citation data.
EP Register API
prosecution history (actions and communications per case).
UKIPO API
UK patent grant data, renewal status, and legal status events.
Automated case docketing
EPO official actions trigger automatic deadline calculation (response due dates per EPC Rules).
IP deadline engine
- jurisdiction-specific deadline calculation rules (EPO Rule 126 response periods, PCT national phase deadlines, trademark renewal windows).
- Paris Convention priority claiming deadlines.
- PCT 30-month national phase deadlines.
- Trademark Madrid Protocol designation deadlines.
Alert cascade
6 months, 3 months, 1 month, 2 weeks — each with email and in-app notification.
Partner override
escalation if attorney does not acknowledge the 1-month alert.
Automated Renewal Payments
- AnnuitiesPayment / Dennemeyer integration for automated patent annuity payments.
- Renewal payment instructions generated from case records (EPO annuity due dates, UKIPO renewal dates).
Approval workflow
attorney reviews and approves renewal instructions before payment submission.
Payment confirmation
receipt stored against case record.
Failed payment
immediate alert and manual escalation.
WIPO Madrid Monitor API
trademark registration status across 130 member countries.
Trademark renewal tracking
10-year term plus 6-month grace period.
Trademark watch service
- WIPO Global Brand Database API for similar mark monitoring (early warning of potential conflicts).
- UK TM database integration post-
Brexit
UKIPO trademark API (separate from EU trademark registry post-Brexit).
The Results
Platform live at 20 weeks, £112,000 — under budget.
Zero missed deadlines in first 12 months of operation (legacy system: 3 missed deadlines in prior 12 months — each requiring UKIPO/EPO extension, which is costly and embarrassing).
Annuity payment accuracy: 100% (no failed payments).
Case status visibility: attorneys access real-time EPO prosecution status vs weekly manual EPOLINE checks.
SRA accounts audit: zero findings.
“Zero missed deadlines in 12 months. In IP law, a missed deadline can mean losing a patent permanently. The legacy system had 3 missed deadlines in the prior year — each required costly reinstatement. The AnnuitiesPayment automation paid for the entire platform in the first renewal cycle." — Managing Partner, UK Patent Attorney Firm (name withheld)”
Project Details
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