Utilizing Legal Technology For Your IP Management

As a law firm in Singapore active in the area of Intellectual Property you will inevitably be confronted with one question: "How can we effectively and efficiently manage our clients' IP portfolio?" While it seems obvious that embracing technology is a key part of boosting your business capability and remaining competitive, it is often challenging to modernize structures and processes which have been in place for years or even decades. This is where experienced IP service providers come into play who make use of their longstanding experience and expertise in this area to support local firms in bringing their IP processes to the next level.

Naturally, one of the key steps of increasing productivity in relation to your IP management is to make sure that your underlying software infrastructure is as advanced and reliable as possible. Technological innovations in the software solutions area include web-enabled intellectual asset management systems which combine the most valuable features of both a client-server solution and a web-based application.

Every law firm is different, not just in terms of their culture and staff, but also in terms of how they structure their work and client relationships. This is why the software needs to be highly configurable, user friendly and very compatible with existing IT infrastructures. When implementing a new software your software provider's IT and IP experts should conduct an implementation study together with the end users to analyze their processes and requirements and come up with a solution which would meet their needs. Ideally, the various modules - trademarks, patents, designs, and further matters - can be deployed separately or as an all encompassing package to allow the most comprehensive intellectual asset management: from the initial idea over application and foreign filings to maintenance actions and licensing.

As with all software nowadays, user friendliness is key. A well structured and easy to use interface shortens the learning curve and reduces the training time for paralegals and other users of the system saving you time and costs and eventually leading to a better data quality. Tools like wizards, assisted record creation and clearly identified required fields further support this cause.

Singapore is a melting pot and local law firms are often involved with clients and cases stretching far beyond the borders of this little red dot. Hence, your software should be able to support multiple...