Ambercite: Patent Analysis via Smart Software
February 26, 2024
This essay is the work of a dumb dinobaby. No smart software required.
A news item made its way to me from an Australian company called Ambercite. The firm is in the business of providing a next-generation patent analysis system. The company began incorporating artificial intelligence in its patent research and discovery system in 2017.
As you may know, a patent is a legal document granted a the government process. Once awarded (usually after months or years of examiners), the patent gives an inventor or inventors named in the patent application exclusive rights to their invention for a certain period of time. The patent protects the inventor’s intellectual property, preventing others from making, using, or selling the invention without permission. Inventors need patents to safeguard their innovations, incentivize creativity, and potentially monetize their inventions through licensing or sales.
Ambercite’s news item pointed out that the firm’s predictive analytics (a type of smart software) predicted the trajectory of the litigation between Google (an online advertising company with numerous side businesses) and Sonos, a company producing hardware and software for audio applications. Ambercite reported:
Back in October 2020, we showed that Ambercite could be used to predict that Google might be at risk from a patent infringement lawsuit from Sonos – a prediction that matched actual litigation.
An auto-generated Ambercite report. © Ambercite 2024
The company has prepared an interesting report which, I think, is relevant to those engaged in patent activity or to individuals who are considering a predictive analytics system for investigations or related activity.
Ambercite’s case study states:
Recent developments reveal that Sonos has secured a substantial $32.5 million patent infringement judgment against Google. Notably, this legal victory stems from a Sonos patent, US10,848,885, pertaining to the synchronization of music across distinct zones
Ambercite’s system processes the patent and identifies prior patents. The Ambercite system reduces the task to several key taps and a button click. The approach contrasts sharply with other commercial patent analysis systems. The Thomson Innovation service includes a wide range of patent and technical information. Plus, Thomson allows its paying customers to access the Westlaw system. The complexity of analysis is underscored by the 122 page user guide to the service.
Ambercite’s approach streamlines identification of potentially problematic documents; for example, Sonos patent US10,848,885 is related to three Google patents:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8407273B2/en
https://patents.google.com/patent/US9218156B2/en
https://patents.google.com/patent/US10416961B2
Several observations are warranted:
- Ambercite’s system is easy to use, even for a non-attorney or an entrepreneur in the process of writing a patent
- Ambercite’s point-and-click approach eliminates the need to hunt through documentation to locate the specifics of locating potentially infringing documents
- The “smart software” remains in the background, presenting the user with actionable inputs, not for-fee options for commonly-used functions.
Net net: Worth a close look.
Stephen E Arnold, February 26, 2024
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