1. Introduction & Purpose
ipCapital Group, Inc. (“ipCG,” “we,” or “our”) is an intellectual property innovation consultancy founded in 1998. We help organizations invent, protect, value, and monetize IP assets. As a firm at the intersection of technology and intellectual property, we recognize that artificial intelligence (“AI”) is transforming our industry and the work we do for clients.
This policy establishes the principles, guidelines, and safeguards that govern how ipCG develops, deploys, and uses AI technologies in our consulting services, internal operations, and client-facing tools. It applies to all ipCG employees, contractors, advisors, and any third parties acting on our behalf.
2. Guiding Principles
Our use of AI is guided by five core principles:
- Human-in-the-Loop: AI augments and accelerates human expertise—it does not replace expert judgment. Every AI-assisted deliverable is reviewed, validated, and approved by a qualified ipCG professional before it reaches a client.
- Client Confidentiality: Client data is never used to train third-party AI models. We maintain strict data isolation and confidentiality controls for all client information processed through AI systems.
- Transparency: We are transparent with clients about when and how AI tools are used in our engagements. Clients have the right to understand the role AI plays in the work product they receive.
- Accuracy & Auditability: AI-generated analysis, patent citations, and data are independently verified by our team. We maintain audit trails for AI-assisted work product so that conclusions can be traced to their source evidence.
- Continuous Improvement: We regularly evaluate the AI tools and models we use, updating our practices as the technology, regulatory landscape, and industry best practices evolve.
3. How We Use AI in Our Services
3.1 Patent Research & Landscape Analysis
We use AI-powered search and analytics tools to accelerate patent landscape mapping, prior art identification, and competitive intelligence analysis. These tools help our analysts process large volumes of patent data more efficiently, but all findings are validated by experienced IP professionals who review the underlying patent documents, verify claim interpretations, and confirm relevance assessments before inclusion in any client deliverable.
3.2 Invention Documentation
AI may be used to assist in drafting initial invention disclosure frameworks, organizing technical descriptions, or suggesting claim structures based on prior art analysis. All invention disclosures are substantively developed, reviewed, and refined by ipCG’s technical team in collaboration with the client’s inventors. ipCG does not practice law, and all patent filing decisions are made by qualified patent counsel.
3.3 Patent Valuation & Analytics
Our valuation and analytics engagements may leverage AI to model market comparables, analyze citation networks, benchmark portfolio metrics, or identify licensing targets. The underlying methodologies, assumptions, and conclusions are developed and validated by ipCG professionals with deep expertise in IP valuation.
3.4 Content & Thought Leadership
AI tools may assist in research, data gathering, and initial drafting for blog posts, white papers, and other thought leadership content. All published content reflects the views and expertise of ipCG’s team and is reviewed and edited by our professionals before publication.
3.5 Internal Operations
We use AI to improve our internal workflows, including document management, scheduling, data organization, and software development. These internal uses do not expose client data to third-party AI providers beyond the scope defined in our vendor agreements and data processing protocols.
4. Data Protection & Client Confidentiality
- No Model Training on Client Data: We do not permit client data to be used for training publicly available or third-party AI models. Where we use AI services that process client data, we ensure contractual provisions prohibiting the use of that data for model training or improvement.
- Data Minimization: We share only the minimum data necessary with AI tools to accomplish the intended task. Sensitive client information is anonymized or redacted where feasible before processing through AI systems.
- Enterprise-Grade AI Services: Where we use third-party AI services, we select enterprise offerings with appropriate data processing agreements, SOC 2 compliance, or equivalent security certifications. We do not process client data through consumer-grade AI chatbots or free-tier services.
- Access Controls: Access to AI tools that process client data is restricted to authorized ipCG personnel on a need-to-know basis, consistent with our broader information security policies.
- Retention & Deletion: AI-processed data follows the same retention and deletion policies that apply to all client data under our engagement agreements and privacy policy.
5. AI & Inventorship
The question of AI and patent inventorship is an evolving area of law. ipCG’s current position, consistent with prevailing USPTO and international patent office guidance, is as follows:
- Patent inventorship requires a natural person who made a significant contribution to the conception of the claimed invention.
- AI systems are tools—they may assist in the inventive process, but they cannot be named as inventors on patent applications.
- When AI tools are used during ipCG-facilitated invention sessions, we ensure that all claimed inventions have identifiable human inventors who have made genuine intellectual contributions to the conception of the invention.
- We advise clients to maintain clear documentation of the human contributions in any AI-assisted invention process to support inventorship determinations and prosecution.
We actively monitor legal developments in this area and will update this guidance as case law, patent office rules, and legislation evolve.
6. Ethical AI Use
- Bias Awareness: We recognize that AI models can reflect biases present in their training data. Our professionals apply critical judgment to AI-generated outputs and do not uncritically accept AI recommendations, particularly in matters involving subjective assessments such as patent quality ratings or market value estimates.
- No Deception: We do not use AI to generate misleading patent claims, fabricate prior art references, create synthetic evidence, or produce any work product intended to deceive patent offices, courts, clients, or other parties.
- Professional Responsibility: ipCG is not a law firm and does not practice law. Our use of AI does not change this. AI-assisted work product is provided as consulting deliverables, and clients should engage qualified patent counsel for all legal decisions.
7. Client Rights & Disclosures
- Clients may request information about the specific AI tools and methods used in their engagement at any time.
- Clients may request that specific work be performed without AI assistance, and ipCG will accommodate such requests where feasible (scope and timeline adjustments may apply).
- All engagement agreements govern the ownership and confidentiality of work product, regardless of whether AI tools were used in its creation.
8. Third-Party AI Providers
ipCG evaluates and selects third-party AI providers based on the following criteria:
- Data processing agreements that prohibit training on our data
- SOC 2 Type II or equivalent security certifications
- Clear data retention and deletion policies
- Demonstrated reliability and accuracy in the IP domain
- Compliance with applicable data protection regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
We maintain a registry of approved AI tools and services and conduct periodic reviews of their compliance with our requirements.
9. Policy Governance & Updates
This policy is reviewed at least annually and updated as needed to reflect changes in technology, regulation, client requirements, and industry best practices. Material changes will be communicated to clients and published on this page.
Questions about this policy or ipCG’s use of AI should be directed to:
ipCapital Group, Inc.
4 Carmichael Street, Suite 111 PMB 145
Essex, VT 05452
info@ipcg.com
ipCapital Group is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This policy describes our internal practices and does not constitute legal guidance on AI regulation or intellectual property law. Clients should consult qualified legal counsel for advice on AI-related legal matters.