WebTMS will be at booth 416-418 at the Exhibition hall at INTA’s Annual Meeting.

If you’re attending please stop by to learn more about the WebTMS Outlook® Add-in or simply stop by to say hello!

The Exhibition hall will be open

Sunday May 6th 12:00pm-5:00pm

Monday May 7th 10:00 am-4:30pm

Tuesday May 8th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Wednesday, May 9th 10:00am-2:00pm

We have found that there are some common questions that our clients have about using WebTMS. For your convenience, WebTMS will be sending a short weekly update of these frequently asked questions.

WebTMS FAQ

I’m trying to delete a record, but I keep getting an error message.
To keep your records accurate, WebTMS prevents users from deleting a record that is linked to a record in another module. For example, if you attempt to delete a Trademark record that is linked to a dispute record you will receive an error message. To delete the record you will need to find the related record, or in this case the dispute record, and remove the link to the trademark.

To find records that are linked to a particular trademark, find the trademark that is giving the error and click the Related Files button. A list of all of the records the trademark is referenced in will appear. This also applies to the Companies and Contacts module. If a company name has been entered as an owner, client, agent, or other party in any of the system modules, it cannot be deleted from the companies file. To delete the company name, you must first identify all the records that refer to it, then remove the name from these records.

You can use the Cross Module Wizard to search for and locate all files which refer to a particular trademark.

When creating a new WIPO record in our WebTMS Database, how do I create separate records for the designated countries?
Locate the application or registration on which the WIPO record is based.  At the top of the trademark record sheet/trademark page click on the button titled “Create WIPO Record”. This will bring up a new WIPO Record.  Fill in the information you have to date regarding application number and date etc in the Registration details section.

In the section Madrid National Extensions, click on the asterisk and select the countries that you wish to file. This will create a record for each of the countries selected with the information you have inserted in the Registration details.

There will be a blue highlighted link above the word “Country” in that section.  You can fill in additional information into the fields of the WIPO record.  If you click on the link titled “Update Registration Details for Extensions”, it will fill in the information into all of the selected countries.  You can also press the arrow key next to the country from the WIPO record and it will take you directly to that country’s Trademark Record for further editing.

TM Cloud Inc. will be supporting WebTMS Clients in the Americas, Canada, Australia New Zealand and other geographic time zones with proximate business hours.

For all inquires regarding Sales, Training and Support please contact:

Michael Ullman                                   Christine Wiss
MUllman@TMCloud.com                 CWiss@TMCloud.com
1 480 477 6640                                    1 480 477 6647

Lucinda Stevenson                            Simi Fafowora
LCStevenson@TMCloud.com          SFafowora@TMCloud.com
1 480 477 6645                                    1 480 477 6643

If you are a WebTMS client in the Americas, Canada, Australia or New Zealand please add the email addresses above to your address book to ensure that you receive the latest updates about WebTMS.

Once you’ve evaluated your records and their associated files, you should make sure your chosen Trademark Management System is capable of gathering and organizing information in a structured and usable manner. If you haven’t already, you can read the first steps in choosing IP management software here.

Is it easy to create reports ?

A frequent task in trademark management is creating reports on your portfolio. When evaluating a Trademark Management System, it’s important to measure how easy is it to collect and analyze your records. Try using the following quick tests:

a.  Can you create and view renewal or other critical reports quickly?
b.  Can you create reports involving mixed categories of information? (Trademark records and information like contracts, assignments etc?)
c.  How easy is it to save templates for reports that you run repeatedly?
d.  How easy is it to send reports to clients or agents via email?
e.  Can you set up reports as attachments?
f.  Can the report be sent directly from the software? or do you have to download the report, save it your hard drive, open your email client, type up a message, attach the report ..and then send it off?

How does the system manage electronic files?

Given the right tools, your Trademark Management System can convert your practice into a paperless office. Some trademark software can store PDFs and Word Documents, and some exceptional systems can store Word and email templates or even email correspondence. However, storing electronic files is pointless if it is difficult to retrieve them when needed.

When assessing different systems, take note of how they organize these files. Ideally, the software should cross index them and link them to their relevant trademark or source. Additionally, the software should make it easy to remove duplicated or redundant information

How do you keep your records up to date?

Once your trademark records and related files are all loaded into your chosen software, you should have a clear method for maintaining the accuracy of information stored in your trademark database. The ability to create Trademark templates/profiles can help when creating similar records of  your frequently used trademarks. This prevents you from having to type in the same information repeatedly and it also minimizes errors in data entry. You should establish a system for periodically auditing and correcting your trademark data.

You might be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief once you’ve made a final choice, but what happens if your acquire more trademark records? Is it easy to import information from a different database? Certain systems have links to online trademark databases in different jurisdictions. It is often helpful if the software can import information from these jurisdictions into your own database.

Before you make your final decisions, it is important that your Trademark Management System fits your style of trademark management and that it grows along with your practice. Look out for our next post on choosing the right Trademark Management System for your practice.

WebTMS will be sponsoring the Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group 2011 Fall conference in Prague.
Our representatives will be available through out the conference to discuss special features of WebTMS docketing software

WebTMS will be on exhibit at INTA’s Annual Trademark Administrator’s Conference.
Our representatives will be available through out the conference to discuss special features of
WebTMS docketing software

Stop by Booth 11 at the conference exhibition hall to learn how WebTMS can change
how you manage your trademark practice.

Before investing in software for managing your trademark portfolio, you may have asked the advice of colleagues, requested feedback from online forums or searched for a software evaluation guide.

While there are plenty of online wiki’s and blog posts on how to choose organizational software, It’s difficult to find an all-in-one checklist that applies specifically to managing intellectual property. Over the years WebTMS has compiled key decision making factors that would help make the process easier. The following questions are the three basic considerations for choosing a Trademark Management system.

Do you really need a Trademark Management System ?

Do you manage both Trademarks and Patents? If so, how many records of each type do you supervise? If your portfolio is clearly patent heavy, you should restrict your evaluation to software specifically created for patents. If your portfolio is filled with trademarks, or you are the sole trademark attorney among patent attorneys in your practice,  you might want to invest in software created specifically for trademarks. Well designed trademark software will accommodate not only trademark records but also information related to trademark affairs and so you won’t have to make the information in your trademark records fit patent terminology. Some trademark software allows users to store and manage small portfolios for a reduced fee.

What type of Docket/Diary do you need?

Does the system help you manage your deadlines and reminders? Are there built in trademark and country rules? How much flexibility are you allowed when creating personal deadlines? Does the software offer push or pull reminders? i.e. Do you have to remember to check your deadline list, or does the system have a means of prompting or alerting you?

What additional files will you have to accommodate?

A quality trademark management system should provide built in management for the following information:

How are these files stored in the system? Are they cross indexed and permanently linked to the relevant trademark?

The Market View™ Report provides a comprehensive review of various Enterprise Trademark Management solutions from the perspective of systems that meet the needs of larger, more sophisticated trademark departments and brand managers.

In reviewing over 20 systems, Hyperion Research rated WebTMS a Market Leader out of a select group of only six “Advanced Solutions”.

The Report concludes that WebTMS “demonstrates strength in both product functionality and overall business capabilities-; meets or exceeds all Key Solution Components; interface design is highly logical and easy to use; a strong record of client satisfaction; consistent flow of valuable enhancements; a highly regarded management team and organization; financial stability”

The complete MarketView™ Report is available from:
http://www.hgpresearch.com/ipmc-2/ipm_mv_fr_trademarkssystems

After meeting WebTMS will be offering open training, Q&A sessions and individual training for all who are interested.

The provisional agenda is set out below. If you have any questions or suggestions for the event, please email Simi@WebTMS.com

9.30 AM Reception, with continental breakfast

• Email add-on for Outlook
• WebTMS Mobile
• Auditing your trademark records with TMrecords.com
• Disaster recovery & Backups
• Using the Agent Update Module
• WebTMS: An Agent’s perspective
• Open forum, questions, suggestions, wishlists

12:00 PM End of Morning Session

1:00 PM Afternoon Session

• Open Training Q&A
• Individual sessions (first come first served)

4:00 PM Event Ends