Can Low-Code Tools Help Legal Firms Navigate New EU Patent System?

The European patent system is about to see its biggest shake-up in 50 years. That may not raise much more than a shrug from legal sector IT managers. But the truth is that the changes represent a potentially serious administrative problem for their employer. And, as is usually the case, technology could be the answer - specifically, low-code solutions which can be used to free-up high value skills and automate the process of notifying clients.

What is the UPC?

The much-anticipated changes to Europe’s patent laws centre around the creation of a single approach to patent registration and litigation across all 24 EU member states. Judgements will be handed down by a new Unified Patent Court (UPC), set to open its doors on 1st June 2023. The new regime is designed to simplify what is currently a patchwork of national patent laws, making it easier to protect patents and safeguard innovation across the region. However, there are challenges.

Some patent owners may be sceptical of the new centralised court, given that it remains something of an unknown entity. Yet according to the rules, they must explicitly opt out to ensure they are not covered by the new jurisdiction. 

An administrative headache

This sounds like a pretty simple process. But for the law firms with work to do behind the scenes to communicate these facts to their clients, it could actually represent a significant administrative burden. The last member state, Germany, is expected to ratify the UPC in February 2023. Once this happens, law firms across the region will have only a three-month “sunrise” window in which to notify all of their clients about the new regime, and help those that want to file opt-outs.

This could tie many solicitors up on administrative tasks, such as manual updates to clients on the progress of their patents, when they should be engaged with fee-earning activities. So, what’s the solution?

Systemise the pain away

Fortunately, digital solutions can help to ease the pain and streamline otherwise time consuming manual processes of UPC. It could be an application designed to automatically reach out to clients and notify them of their options in light of upcoming changes. Or another which helps clients self-service by enabling them to view an audit trail of progress to-date in responding to the UPC notification. 

But organisations face challenges when building such tools, not least due to the technology talent shortage. According to some reports, there were more vacancies in the UK tech sector last year than any other labour market, with developer roles particularly sought after. So how can legal firms construct these solutions when developer talent is in such short supply?

Low-code platforms enable staff with a technical understanding to use drag-and-drop functionality to compose innovative new software solutions. The most streamlined tools will even enable firms to build a digital wrapper around existing patent management systems, making further cost savings and creating a more user-friendly solution. 

Low-code tools used in this way take the pressure of IT and developer teams, free-up solicitors to focus on higher value jobs and deliver an enhanced client experience. Even once UPC is done and dusted, there will inevitably be tweaks and changes to the regime going forward. Low-code empowers legal firms with the agility to respond with speed to whatever new requirements head their way. 

To learn more about Toca and how our low-code platform is helping firms automate and streamline UPC processes, book a call with one of our team.