Introduction

Modern technology allows communications to be exchanged in a much more flexible, optimised and secure manner, using data exchange standards, avoiding duplicate data entries and risk of errors.

Patent and Trademark Offices have been exploiting data exchange standards for many years, standards which are managed by the World IP Organisation (WIPO). Standard ST.36, for example, describes an XML-based standard for communicating patent-related information. These standards have been developed and are mostly used by Patent and Trademark Offices.

In the US, a standard known under the acronym UTBMS since the mid-90s, describes the tasks delivered by outside legal counsels, thereby easing the invoicing process and facilitating financial analytics around legal services. As of today, the standard continues to evolve under the LEDES (Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard) umbrella and includes a dedicated IP section.

EDIPI promotes even broader data exchange standards across the IP community; a standard developed by IP professionals for the benefit of all IP players, covering all IP rights and the full IP lifecycle.