Project Overview
A UK top-15 IP law firm with 180 fee earners managing 28,000 active IP matters (patents, trademarks, designs, ...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK top-15 IP law firm with 180 fee earners managing 28,000 active IP matters (patents, trademarks, designs, copyright) needed to replace their legacy CPA Global platform with a bespoke IP portfolio management system. IPO (Intellectual Property Office) API integration, EPO (European Patent Office) API, WIPO Madrid System for international trademark registration, SRA professional obligations, UK GDPR for client IP data, and critical date management (patent renewals, trademark renewals — missed deadlines are professional negligence) were the requirements. Budget: £130,000.
Our Approach
IP critical dates
patent renewal (annual — first renewal due 4 years from application date), trademark renewal (10-year cycle), design registration renewal (5-year renewals, maximum 25 years), PCT international phase deadlines (strict 30-month national phase entry deadline).
Alert cascade
- 12 months, 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, 2 weeks, 3 days before each critical date.
- Fee earner + client notification.
- Acknowledge-or-action required: no notification dismissed without recorded action.
Professional negligence risk
any missed renewal = potential negligence claim.
IPO API Integration
UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
API
trademark search (Nice Classification — 45 classes), patent register, designs register, and filing status.
Automated status monitoring
all active IP matters polled against IPO API daily — any status change (granted, opposed, lapsed) triggers notification.
IPO patent renewal API
automated UK patent renewal payment submission (avoids missed renewal through manual oversight).
Trademark watch
automated similarity search — new trademark applications in the same class as client marks flagged for watch service.
EPO and WIPO Integration
European Patent Office (EPO) OPS (Open Patent Services)
API
- European patent prosecution status, examination reports, opposition proceedings.
- PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty — WIPO): PCT application status, international search report, international examination report.
WIPO Madrid System API
international trademark registration status, designation status per country.
Docketing automation
EPO/WIPO events automatically created as actions in matter management — no manual docketing from PDF correspondence.
Client portal
branded portal per client — active IP portfolio, renewal dates, costs to date, filing history.
IP portfolio analytics
technology mapping (patent claims clustered by technical field), geographic coverage (trademark registrations per jurisdiction — world map), and portfolio value assessment (citation analysis — how often each patent is cited by others).
IP valuation dashboard
patent citation count, family size, years remaining, and estimated remaining commercial value.
The Results
Platform live at 20 weeks, £118,000 — under budget.
Critical date zero misses: 100% — zero missed renewals in first 12 months (prior year: 2 near-misses requiring emergency fee).
IPO status monitoring: 28,000 matters monitored daily (previously quarterly manual review).
Client portal adoption: 84% of top-50 clients using portal within 6 months.
Docketing time: 40% reduction (EPO/WIPO auto-docketing).
SRA file audit: zero findings.
“Zero missed IP renewals in 12 months. Two near-misses in the prior year — each required emergency action and significant partner anxiety. 28,000 matters monitored daily versus previously quarterly — the monitoring frequency change alone reduced risk dramatically. Client portal 84% adoption from top-50 clients — they see their portfolio in real time." — Managing Partner, UK IP Law Firm (name withheld)”
Project Details
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