Patent Law

The creative guys at PriorSmart (www.priorsmart.com) have created a very interesting tool for those of you frustrated by the PTO's bans on automated PAIR access. For a relatively small fee, PriorSmart will monitor the docket of any application, reexamination, or issued patent and then e-mail reports. To stay within the PTO's no-automation requirements, PriorSmart hires people to check the PAIR site and report on activities. Daily monitoring of an application costs $16 per month, a monthly report costs $4 per month. That price beats your paralegal. PriorSmart sees itself as filling a gap by allowing companies to "Track documents affecting your litigation or freedom?to?operate opinion; Monitor competitors en masse; [and] Be alerted to new continuations or divisionals."

• http://docs.priorsmart.com/
• Also, check out their search functionality at http://www.priorsmart.com/.