IP Pilot lets you uncover foreign applicants filing in your jurisdiction who are represented by multiple law firms, revealing valuable business development opportunities to consolidate their IP work.
To Identify Foreign Applicants with Multiple Law Firm Representatives
1. Go to the Search Feature
- Click Search on the left-side navigation panel.
2. Configure the Search for Applicants
- In the first drop-down, select Applicants, and select from in the next one.
- Leave the next drop-down field blank to include applicants from all countries and regions.
3. Set the Filing Jurisdiction and Time Period
- In the File At field, select your jurisdiction’s publication authority.
- Set year type to Prosecuted.
- Choose a suitable From and To year (e.g., 2020–2024).
- Tip: For patent data, avoid selecting the latest year due to publication delays.
4. Add the “Important Representatives Over Time” Chart
- In the Add Chart drop-down, select Important Representatives Over Time.
- This chart will show you, for each applicant, the law firms that have represented them year by year and the number of filings per firm.
5. Apply Filters for Foreign Applicants
- Click Add Filter.
- Choose Applicant Country.
- Change the filter operator from Equals to Not Equals.
- Select your own country (e.g., Canada) from the final drop-down.
- This ensures your results focus on foreign applicants only.
- (Optional): Add more filters such as Decision Maker, Number of Filings or a specific technical field for even more targeted results.
6. Run the Search
- Click Search to generate your results.
- You’ll receive:
- A list of all foreign applicants filing in your jurisdiction, the total number of filings matching your criteria, and the Important Representatives Over Time chart for each.
7. Interpret the Results
- Review the Important Representatives Over Time chart for each applicant:
- Applicants with filings spread across multiple law firms are potential targets for consolidation.
- Applicants who rely on a single law firm for many years are more challenging to approach, as their relationship is likely established.
8. Export and Analyze the Data
- Click the Export button on the right to download your results as an Excel file.
- The export will include:
- Sheet 1: List of all applicants, with total filings that match your criteria.
- Sheet 2: For each applicant and each year, the law firms that represented them and their number of filings.
- Use Excel to create charts or pivot tables:
- Identify applicants whose filings are split among multiple law firms.
- Visualize the degree of fragmentation in representation.
Example Scenario
Suppose you want to find foreign applicants filing in Canada who use several law firms for their filings:
- Go to Search, select Applicants.
- Set File At: Canada, Year Type: Prosecuted, From: 2020, To: 2024.
- Add the Important Representatives Over Time chart.
- Add the Applicant Country ≠ Canada filter.
- Click Search and review the results.
- Export to Excel, and in Sheet 2, use a pivot table to quickly see which applicants work with multiple firms across different years.
- Prioritize outreach to applicants with the most fragmented representation.
Best Practices & Tips
-
Fragmented = Opportunity: Applicants with multiple representatives present the best opportunities for consolidation and new business.
- Established = Challenging: Applicants with a single, long-term representative may be harder to win over.
- Refine Your Focus: Use additional filters (filing volume, technical field) for more actionable targeting.
- Excel Analysis: Pivot tables and color-coded charts make it easy to spot fragmented vs. consolidated representation.
For more help interpreting your results or creating a targeted BD strategy, please send an email to support@ip-pilot.com.
