Five Strategies for Conducting Better Docket Research


Docket Alarm gives attorneys the ability to take their docket research to the next level. With a suite of tools that streamlines your search process and maximizes your results, Docket Alarm makes legal research more accurate and relevant than ever before. Here are five ways attorneys can use Docket Alarm to conduct better docket research.

1. Search Across All of PACER

Instead of searching individual databases, use Docket Alarm to search all of PACERat once. Docket Alarm searches all federal court cases simultaneously. By entering your query in the search bar and selecting “Federal Courts”, Docket Alarm’s search engine will search the entirety of PACER. Searching across all databases ensures that you have access to all relevant information, some of which might be buried in more obscure databases.

Example of Docket Alarm's Search Filters
 
2. Use Filters to Target Relevant Results

Docket Alarm provides users with many different filters to quickly pare down results to only the most relevant information. Filters like “Nature of Suit”, “Judge”, and “Party” limit search results to dockets that occupy a desired practice area, such as trademark, civil rights, or insurance; dockets heard by a certain judge, or dockets involving certain parties.

3. Search for Court Opinions

Another way to enhance your docket research is to limit your inquiry to court opinions. Docket Alarm provides attorneys with a “Decisions and Orders” filter that returns a list of results comprised solely of final decisions and court orders, allowing you to quickly determine the outcome of cases and their relevance to your query.

4. Search for Expert Testimony

To conduct superior docket research, attorneys should also include searching expert testimony in their legal research strategy. Typing a query into Docket Alarm’s search engine results in a full-text search within individual PACER documents, enabling users to uncover an array of information about an expert, including litigation history, expert reports, credentials and more.

5. Use Analytics to Give Your Search Context

Instead of researching in a vacuum, use Docket Alarm’s analytics to add context to your legal research. Attorneys have the ability to analyze their search results and view related statistics in real time, allowing them to see the impact a docket has individually and at a global level. These statistics can provide insight into many different facets of litigation, including the likelihood of certain outcomes, judicial leanings, and litigation trends, giving attorneys the power to devise informed, winning litigation strategies. 

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Tara Klamrowski is the director of IP content at One400. She writes about current IP issues, IP trends, and how Docket Alarm can help attorneys and their clients achieve success.

Docket Alarm is a legal research and analytics platform that helps attorneys better estimate their chances of winning and with preparation of tactical strategies. Sign up for Docket Alarm at www.docketalarm.com today. 


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FTC Cracking Down on Drug Manufacturers' "Pay-for-Delay" Practices

On March 30th, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against drug manufacturer Endo Pharmaceuticals, alleging that Endo is paying generic drug manufacturers in order to delay the release of lower cost generic versions of their drugs, Opana ER and Lidoderm.

Generic drugs come to market when the patents on name brand drugs expire. This results in branded drug companies losing their monopoly on the market for these drugs, forcing them to compete for the first time with their lower-cost counterparts. Branded drug manufacturers have figured out that it will cost them less money to pay a settlement to generic manufacturers to delay the release of these drugs rather than to have directly compete with lower-cost versions of their drugs. At the same time, generic manufacturers make money without manufacturing a product. It is a win-win for drug manufacturers, but not necessarily for consumers.

This is not the first time this type of tactic has been used by branded drug manufacturers. In fact, it has been used so often that is has acquired a nickname, “pay-for-delay”, and stopping this practice has become a top priority for the FTC.

This practice has evolved as a result of Hatch-Waxman litigation, known colloquially as Orange Book litigation. Oftentimes, generic manufacturers have to file lawsuits to compel branded drug companies to release expired patents on name brand drugs so they can bring generics to market. This type of litigation has become big business, with billions of dollars at stake. “Pay-for-delay” essentially bypasses this process, saving both branded and generic manufacturers time and money.

To get the latest updates on this case and other Orange Book litigation, attorneys can sign up for Docket Alarm— the only legal research platform that offers attorneys a suite of tools to stay abreast of Orange Book litigation. Users can track updates to the Orange Book, search Orange Book correspondence, and view Patent Trial and Appeal Board analytics for Orange Book litigation. Download Docket Alarm’s free report on Orange Book litigation today at docketalarm.com/welcome/Big-Pharma-Patent-Litigation-Infographic.

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Tara Klamrowski is the director of IP content at One400. She writes about current IP issues, IP trends, and how Docket Alarm can help attorneys and their clients achieve success.






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Infographic Shows PTAB's Effect on Hatch-Waxman Litigation

Docket Alarm is excited to announce the release of a new report: “Big Pharma and the Legal Industry: Docket Alarm’s Guide to Orange Book Patent Analytics”.

The report, presented in a visually engaging infographic, breaks down how the relatively new Patent Trial and Appeal Board is reshaping Hatch-Waxman litigation. Attorneys can see statistics on everything from the trajectory of Orange Book patents at the PTAB to the top players in the field.


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Docket Alarm is the only research platform that offers patent practitioners a complete PTAB research and analytics platform featuring Orange Book patents engaged in litigation. Add intelligence to your patent practice today by signing up at docketalarm.com/welcome/Orange-Book-Research-Tools.

Tara Klamrowski is the director of IP content at One400. She writes about current IP issues, IP trends, and how Docket Alarm can help attorneys and their clients achieve success.




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Docket Alarm is an advanced search and litigation tracking service for the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB), the International Trade Commission (ITC), Bankruptcy Courts, and Federal Courts across the United States. Docket Alarm searches and tracks millions of dockets and documents for thousands of users.

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