As the number, complexity, and range of legal services that companies require have increased, so too have the pressures on corporate legal departments to provide these services quickly and in a cost-effective manner. These developments have led to a rising emphasis on legal operations—the optimization of people, processes, and technology—to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of substantive legal services.
Patent departments within corporate legal departments are no exception. They are now asked to protect more assets faster—often with flatlined or reduced budgets—while maintaining quality. Thus, just like legal operations as a whole, the need for efficient and effective patent operations has never been greater.
Holland & Hart’s Michael Drapkin and Matthew Harvey authored a three-article series published by Bloomberg Law analyzing pressures, trends, and future developments for patent operations, with a focus on large portfolio patent operations and the interplay between in-house and outside counsel.
The first article focuses on the pressures facing corporate patent departments now and in coming years. These dynamics will continue to shape patent operations for both corporate patent departments and the outside firms that support them. The second article provides an overview of recent developments in patent operations, driven by the pressures described in the first installment. The third article describes future developments in patent operations as envisioned for both corporate patent departments and the outside firms that support them. To read the articles, click here.
Sylvia Chen, Head of Patent Operations at Google, and Aaron J. Kraft, Patent Counsel at Micron, joined Drapkin on a panel at the sold out 2019 AIPLA Electronic & Computer Patent Law Summit held in Minneapolis, MN on June 11, presenting on the topic “Next Generation of IP Operations,” and provided valuable insights and feedback on the articles.
Michael Drapkin is a partner in the firm’s Boulder office. He counsels some of the world’s most innovative technology companies in protecting their intellectual property, guiding them in the strategic development and management of their patent portfolios. He leads a team of 40+ computer and EE-focused patent attorneys, agents, and engineers that has collaborated to create automation and workflow management solutions to deliver efficient, cost-effective legal services.
Matthew Harvey is an associate at Holland & Hart in the firm’s Boise office. He is a registered patent attorney and focuses on patent prosecution, patent analysis, and IP due diligence matters across electrical engineering and standards-essential technologies.