FTF closes $2 million for IP doc management

First to File gives companies and law firms a smart solution for overseeing patents and trademarks

First to File (FTF), provider of IP document management solutions, announced Monday that it has closed a $2 million Series B venture capital financing led by existing investor Foundation Capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $4 million.

Drawing its name from the legal concept by which the government decides who to grant a patent for any given invention, FTF provides companies and law firms of all sizes with technology solutions for storing, managing and analyzing legal documents.

The company’s primary solution, Electronic File Room (EFR) organize cases into electronic files to help clients see all the associated documents and collected knowledge for each case. EFR is built to allow people within the organization or firm to collaborate with each other, to interact with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and to grant secure access to outside counsel, inventors or foreign agents.

In addition to the new funding, FTF also unveiled Electronic File Room for Trademarks (EFR-TM), which is just like EFR except for trademarks.

Both EFR applications are designed to complement each other, as well as Workflow and Agent Access.

“With the introduction of EFR for Trademarks, First To File is leveraging its accumulated IP document management expertise to meet the challenges faced by today’s trademark practitioners,” said James Bergeron, CEO of First to File. “Together with our Workflow Management Module and Agent Access Portal, our EFR solutions are the best choice for organizations seeking an intelligent approach to intellectual property prosecution and management.”

Workflow, which Bergeron alludes to above, is a module for EFR that automates the multi-step process of creating and managing documents involved in the life cycle of a patent. The Agent Access portal lets organizations upload files while only letting certain administrators see the content.

EFR, EFR-TM, Workflow and Agent Access together compromise one of the most comprehensive IP document management solutions around.

FTF will use the new funding to further expand its offerings and to grow the company’s sales and marketing team.