Attorney-Built Technology Delivers High-Confidence Insights for Renewal Decisions, Portfolio Valuation, and Licensing Strategy

Black Hills AI and Black Hills Renewals announced the launch of Evidence of Use (EoU) Scans, a breakthrough AI-powered feature that provides IP attorneys and corporate legal departments with actionable market intelligence to optimize patent portfolios, identify licensing opportunities, and make strategic renewal decisions with unprecedented confidence.

The new EoU Scans leverage proprietary AI technology—including the engine behind Otto IP™—to rapidly map patent claims against the global commercial marketplace, delivering insights that traditionally required extensive manual research and costly outside counsel engagement.
Black Hills Renewals: Portfolio Intelligence for Smarter Renewal Decisions

Black Hills Renewals has integrated EoU Scans directly into its annuity management platform, fundamentally changing how organizations approach renewal decisions. The system automatically analyzes patent matters at least annually—typically within six months of an upcoming renewal—replacing time-intensive manual research with data-driven intelligence.

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How It Works:
Using advanced AI technology, the system analyzes patent documents and identifies relevant commercial activity in the marketplace. Each report delivers actionable intelligence, including an invention summary, evidence assessment with confidence scoring, and technical gap analysis—empowering informed renewal decisions with clarity and speed.

We designed these scans to deliver sophisticated, secure, attorney-vetted intelligence that represents a new benchmark in our commitment to helping clients realize value from every patent asset.”

— Tom Marlow, CEO of Black Hills Renewals.

“An annuity decision made without data isn’t a decision at all—it’s guessing,” said Tom Marlow, CEO of Black Hills Renewals. “We’ve integrated EoU scores and summaries directly into our instructions view and reminder reports, giving our clients at-a-glance visibility exactly when they need it most. This transforms renewal management from a reactive administrative task into a strategic portfolio optimization process.”

The platform includes quality assurance features, allowing users to re-run any report from the patent matter screen. Each account receives 10 immediate re-runs per month, with additional support available for investigating edge cases.

Black Hills AI: On-Demand Intelligence for Portfolio Analysis and Licensing
Black Hills AI offers EoU Scans on-demand or as part of portfolio projects within the BHAI Portal, enabling legal teams to conduct comprehensive portfolio analyses, assess patent value, and identify licensing opportunities with speed and precision.

“In today’s fast-moving legal and commercial landscape, the ability to rapidly identify potential infringement, isolate market threats, and assess patent value is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity,” said Jim Hallenbeck, CEO of Black Hills AI and a seasoned IP attorney. “Our Evidence of Use Scans were developed by IP attorneys, for IP attorneys, delivering the strategic insight that moves organizations beyond reactive portfolio management to proactive market leadership.”

Key Capabilities Include:
•Portfolio Valuation: Rapidly assess which patents have active market relevance and commercial value.
•Licensing Opportunity Identification: Pinpoint potential licensees using technology covered by patent claims.
•Technical Landscape Mapping: Identify whitespace and gaps in competitive landscapes
•Strategic Filing Guidance: Refine claim scope based on current market activity.

Unlike general-purpose AI tools, Black Hills AI’s EoU Scans are engineered specifically for IP professionals, ensuring legally relevant output that minimizes manual validation and accelerates decision-making for assertion, licensing, and prosecution strategies.

Security and Trust: A Non-Negotiable Foundation
Both platforms uphold the Black Hills AI commitment to U.S.-based operations and secure technology infrastructure. Client inputs are processed in secure environments and are never used to train public AI models, eliminating confidentiality risks common with globally sourced or general-purpose AI platforms.

“The integrity of the data is paramount. Our clients trust us with their most valuable assets—their intellectual property,” added Marlow. “We designed these scans to deliver sophisticated, secure, attorney-vetted intelligence that represents a new benchmark in our commitment to helping clients realize value from every patent asset.”

The Evidence of Use Scans are now available as an integrated feature within the Black Hills Renewals platform and on-demand through the Black Hills AI Portal.

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