IP Law Firms | Above the Bar 5/21/2009 2:13:51 PM In order for law firms to fulfill this sophisticated role, they must be able to use analytics that assess IP assets, beginning with their own firms’ representation abilities. Law firms can specifically use patent bibliometric techniques to assess their patent representation against other firms.
In order for law firms to fulfill this sophisticated role, they must be able to use analytics that assess IP assets, beginning with their own firms’ representation abilities. Law firms can specifically use patent bibliometric techniques to assess their patent representation against other firms.
The focus of this article is to enrich the traditionally published rankings for law firms by taking a deeper dive into the most often used ranking methodology – patent counts – and expanding it to look at the origin of its filing. We will also demonstrate clear apples to apples – or firm to firm Patent Scorecard™ – using only natively filed US patents. Finally, we will dissect two firms’ patent areas for a head to head comparison, showcasing the precision that can be accomplished with patent bibliometrics as well as providing a firm’s patenting areas by industry to show further insight.
RANKING BY ORIGIN OF FILING
Patent counts have been widely used to rank Law Firms; The Patent Board provided its law firm rank for the IP Today December 2008 issue using U.S. utility patent counts. IP Today readers suggested the need to focus solely on patents originated in the US --- suggesting that the firm provided the role of initial patent drafter. The Patent Board recognizes the importance of patent representation, both in the drafting process as well as acting as legal counsel for a patent filed with a foreign priority. The IP Today readers spoke and we listened – and we have provided law firm patent rankings in a variety of ways. These rankings can indicate a firm’s focus and can provide insight for someone needing to evaluate a potential patenting firm.
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