Startup Offers AI Robots for Patent Lawyers

Is it ironic that a smart robot is replacing patent lawyers?

Or maybe it is more sardonic, especially for patent lawyers who have a problem with a robot that can do their job in seconds. But according to a startup called TurboPatent, that' exactly what RoboReview can do.

If it's true, patent attorneys should at least be grateful that the software robot is not well-dressed or funny. Otherwise, some lawyers would be out of a job.

AI Is Here

Artificial intelligence has been making its way into our lives for some time now. Voice-enabled programs, including management programs that run law offices, can do almost anything on the Internet of Things.

RoboReview won't take a patent lawyer's chair and desk, but it can do the job.

"When a patent attorney writes an application, often it will be reviewed by various parties in the firm prior to sending it to the client," said Charles Mirho, a patent attorney and founder of the company.

"We have robots that will actually read the application, then, right in the Word document, make comments and suggestions on how to improve the document, just like Word's 'track changes' feature," he told Law Sites.

It's Conceptual

RoboReview works as fast as a spell-checker, but smarter. It reviews documents conceptually, analyzing information and generating reports.

One report provides predictive analytics to inform strategies, such as the most-likely art units, patent eligibility and patent novelty. The second report inserts comments, as if a patent lawyer had written them but perhaps not as funny.

"This is frankly doing review better than some humans would do it," Mirho said. "This thing finds things that I as an experienced patent attorney wouldn't find."

TurboPatent also offers SmartShell, which addresses patent office actions. The cloud-based company offers a free trial and sample packages.

Related Resources:

• A.I. Is Doing Legal Work. But It Won't Replace Lawyers, Yet. (New York Times)
• Automation Replaces About 23 Percent of Lawyer's Work (FindLaw's Technologist)
• Tech Used to Track, Deport Immigrants (FindLaw's Technologist)