An easier way to collaborate
Most companies that we speak to are still relying on static spreadsheets to manage their patent data and apply internal insights. This might be done by exporting a result set from whichever patent database the company uses, adding their own notes against publication numbers and then filing away this document. Once you start sharing this Excel file around, it can get messy fast. There’s a lot of room for error and no way to track who has added what. With limited searching capabilities in Excel, once the data has been exported it can be hard to manage and capture intelligence.
For global operations it’s easy to become decentralised and struggle to come up with workflows that facilitate working across borders and business units. For any innovation-driven industry, IP awareness is crucial from the top down, so how can you cater for diverse user groups with different levels of IP expertise, functions and backgrounds?
An internal IP Knowledge Management network helps to mitigate these challenges by providing an all-in-one system to monitor the IP landscape and direct relevant documents between departmental experts in a configurable manner that suits a range of scenarios. Companies can utilise IP Knowledge Management networks to facilitate knowledge sharing within multiple business units – even across borders. Monitoring new documents and information, adding additional information internally (where necessary) and then indexing, classifying and distributing information directly to the interested parties within an organisation.
All employees can access the influx of new patent applications from around the world, whatever their level of IP expertise, with access to a shared system. The network can be used not only to capture, archive and disseminate valuable IP data but also as a training tool to get employees to a point where IP is embedded into all thought processes, from the launch of a product to the beginning of a new project.
Effective knowledge sharing is possible even with users that are outside the technical and legal sphere, such as section heads or company directors who can request a summary of the new information on a particular topic for review. For example, the CEO could choose to check certain documents, monitor a potential licensing opportunity and receive a selection of documents matched to their interests based on the human actions taken by the legal or technical teams throughout the previous week, ensuring that all information that crosses their desk is relevant and important to business.
Go to https://minesoft.com/our-products/pat-km/ for more information.