First To File’s Electronic File Room Provides Distinct Advantage to IP Law Firms and Patent Counsel as New America Invents Act Rules Become Effective Tomorrow

EFR’s Efficient Workflow System and Cloud-Based Information Management Accelerate and Streamline Patent Filing Process to Provide Competitive Edge

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tomorrow, Section 3 of the America Invents Act (AIA) goes into effect, rendering a shift to award patents to the first-inventor-to-file rather than to those first-to-invent. Clients of CPA Global’s First To File® (FTF), a leading provider of SaaS-based intellectual property (IP) management technology, report that FTF’s Electronic File Room (EFR) provides efficient digital IP management and workflow technology to help increase efficiency and accuracy, thereby putting patent prosecutors in a position to file patents faster and to win the application race more frequently.

This change to first-inventor-to-file puts efficiency at a premium, so it is absolutely essential for IP firms and corporations to have a streamlined workflow system in place. EFR facilitates simultaneous work on documents, creating the opportunity for more efficient collaborative work between multiple users and creation of a higher quality work product.

James L. Katz, Patent Attorney at Lempia Summerfield Katz LLC, commented: “First To File’s Electronic File Room (EFR) helps our firm process information quickly, which aids us in complying with regulations, processing filings seamlessly, and ultimately giving our clients the best service possible. We are not tied to a single paper file which gets passed from person to person and can be misplaced or lost. EFR gives us greater control over how we work individually and as a unit. We no longer have to track paper files and move them about the office because everything we need is stored and managed by EFR’s workflow management. We are able to have greater visibility and control over the work in process, and immediately and evenly distribute it across our team.”

Katz continued: “First To File’s software stands us in good stead for navigating the new America Invents Act rules. It positions us to better assist our clients in being first in line with their patents. EFR is a cloud-based system which enables remote access from any internet connection. Because it’s a software-as-a-service, we don’t have to invest in on-site hardware or disaster recovery solutions. This saves us time and extra costs, while providing the stable security we need. ”

First To File’s Vice President, Operations, Kurt Wedel, remarked: “In light of the America Invents Act, law firms and corporations are faced with a major shift in how patents will be awarded in the U.S. going forward. First To File delivers efficiency for clients like Lempia Summerfield Katz so they can in turn provide better service to their clients. Our solutions employ digital workflows that organize and automate, forms, correspondences, prior art and other patent files. Clients benefit from streamlined communication and collaboration, and are poised to be first in filing patents because they can focus on higher value activities, and not get bogged down by repetitive, low-value tasks. Corporations and law firms who are not modernizing their IP workflow stand to lose a competitive edge, given the new pressure to be first-to-file.”

For more information about First To File’s Electronic File Room, visit http://www.firsttofile.com/?page_id=16.

About First To File

Founded in 2006, First To File (FTF) is a software company based in San Mateo, California and Boise, Idaho specializing in intellectual property (IP) information management technology. In February 2013, the company was acquired by CPA Global (www.cpaglobal.com), the world’s leading IP management and software specialist.

First To File’s products automate the storage, management and analysis of legal documents worldwide, enabling law firms and corporate legal professionals to reduce risk and work more effectively. FTF’s Electronic File Room (EFR) for Patents and Trademarks is a web-based document management and automation solution for IP corporate legal and law firms of all sizes. Used by Fortune 500 companies as well as top IP law firms, EFR for Patents and Trademarks reduces reliance on paper and transforms the prosecution process by increasing overall visibility, efficiency and quality while significantly reducing costs. For more information, visit www.firsttofile.com or follow us on Twitter @FirstToFile or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101788879272.