How AI Software Speeds Up SEP Essentiality Review and Analysis

In the complex world of patents, understanding the connection between patents and industry standards is crucial for innovation, research, and licensing strategy. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming how teams analyze Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and evaluate essentiality, helping teams navigate technical standards, patent rights, and R&D alignment with far greater accuracy and efficiency.

The Power of AI in SEP Analysis

AI-powered tools make it possible to streamline essentiality review, identify overlapping concepts between patents and standards, and strengthen licensing and R&D strategies. One example is Patlytics’ SEP Check module, which provides an automated workflow for determining whether patent claims correspond to technical standards, such as 5G and Wi-Fi.

Patlytics generates rich-text claim charts with essentiality ratings: Normative, Implied, Informative, and Contextual—paired with directly cited excerpts from the standards. This gives IP teams, R&D groups, and licensing professionals fast, structured insights into how a patent relates to a given standard. By leveraging AI to search the latest versions of the standard automatically, SEP Check dramatically accelerates essentiality assessments without sacrificing accuracy.

SEP Analysis with Patlytics

AI tools like Patlytics’ SEP Check module follow a streamlined, automated process, and can allow for the following:

• Patent Selection: Search your subject patent by publication number. The system automatically parses the claims.
• Claim Selection: Choose which claim(s) to analyze. You can also adjust how claim limitations are grouped by hovering over the claim.
• Choose a Standard: Select the available standard you want to analyze. If the standard contains multiple technical specifications, you may select all or specific documents.
• Automated Standards Search: The system automatically searches the selected standards documents and identifies relevant technical excerpts—no manual upload required.
• Processing: Analysis typically completes within 15 minutes, and Patlytics emails you when it’s ready.
• Viewing the Results: After analysis, you can enable or disable specific standards documents to view their impact on your claim chart.
• Essentiality Review: Examine how each claim limitation and claim phrase is mapped to the standards. Each excerpt receives an essentiality rating (Normative, Implied, Informative, or Contextual) with supporting explanations.
• Filtering and Configuration: Use Configure Claim Chart to filter evidence by rating or type.
• 2-Column View: View evidence organized by claim phrase for easier review and presentation.
• Export: Export rich-text charts with tables, diagrams, and citations for further strategy work.

This integrated workflow allows teams to assess essentiality with clarity, speed, and defensible standards-linked evidence.

Enhancing R&D and Licensing Strategies

AI-powered SEP analysis supports both R&D and licensing by clarifying how closely a patent aligns with key technical standards. With Patlytics:

• R&D teams can determine whether their innovations relate to standardized functionality.
• Licensing teams can identify patents that may hold strategic value or require further evaluation in negotiation contexts.
• Portfolio owners can benchmark essentiality evidence against competitor portfolios.

For example, in wireless technology development, Patlytics makes it easy to map a patent against standards and quickly surface where claims intersect with mandated or implied standard behaviors. This insight can support licensing discussions, cross-licensing opportunities, or internal strategy decisions.

Conclusion

AI-powered tools like Patlytics’ SEP Check are reshaping how organizations approach standards alignment and essentiality analysis. By combining automated standards search, structured evidence mapping, and intuitive claim charts, Patlytics enables faster and more accurate decision-making across prosecution, licensing, litigation, and R&D.

With rich essentiality ratings, configurable chart views, and support for current standards such as Wi-Fi and 5G, Patlytics helps teams stay ahead in a competitive IP landscape and maximize the strategic value of their portfolios.

To explore SEP Check along with Patlytics’ full patent lifecycle platform: book a demo today.

FAQ

Q1: What is SEP analysis, and why is it important?
A1: SEP analysis determines whether a patent claim is essential to implementing an industry standard. It is important for understanding portfolio strength, supporting licensing discussions, and aligning R&D with technical requirements.

Q2: How does Patlytics help with SEP analysis?
A2: Patlytics automatically searches selected standards, extracts relevant excerpts, and generates rich-text claim charts with Normative, Implied, Informative, and Contextual ratings. Users can filter evidence, adjust views, and export structured analysis for strategy and negotiation.

Q3: How does SEP analysis benefit R&D and licensing strategies?
A3: R&D teams can evaluate how their inventions align with standard-defined functionality, while licensing teams use essentiality insights to identify high-value patents, support negotiation positions, and assess competitor portfolios.