Data Share enables one Equinox system to securely share case data, tasks, and documents with another Equinox system under controlled authorisation and configurable sync rules. This enables organisations such as law firms, corporate IP teams, foreign associates, consultants, and licensors to keep case information synchronised without the need for manual data entry.

Data Share is a one-way synchronisation tool. One Equinox system acts as the sender (sharer) and the other acts as the receiver. The receiver can review, accept, and import updates from the sender's system.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What can Data Share be used for?

Data Share has been designed for a variety of collaboration scenarios, including:

Law Firm ↔ Foreign Associate

Share selected cases between firms so that both parties have access to the latest filing, prosecution, and deadline information.

Law Firm ↔ Client

Automatically synchronise portfolio data between a law firm and its client, reducing the need for manual updates and duplicate data entry.

Corporate ↔ Corporate

Share information relating to licensed portfolios, joint ventures, or other commercial arrangements where visibility of IP assets is required.

Consultant Access

Allow external consultants using Equinox to receive portfolio information from another Equinox system.

What information can be shared?

Data Share supports four categories of information.

1. Bibliographic Data

The following information can be shared:

  • Filing information 

  • Priority information 

  • Publication information

  • Grant information

  • National and regional details

  • Titles

  • Goods and classes

  • Case images

Note: Custom fields are not currently supported. Data Share focuses on core IP bibliographic information.

2. Contacts 

The following Contact information can be shared per matter:

  • Applicant names 

  • Inventor names 

3. Tasks

The following task information can be shared:

  • Task descriptions 

  • Due dates 

  • Task status (Live or Done)

Note: Custom task statuses are simplified to either Live or Done when shared.

4. Documents

The following document information can be shared:

  • Document content (e.g. PDFs) 

  • Document title 

  • Document date

Creating a Data Share 

To create a new Data Share:

  1. Open the Data Sharing area within Equinox (System > Data Sharing Settings).

  2. Create a new share 

  3. Enter a name for the share.

  4. Set the share to Active.

  5. Click Update to save the share.

Once created, the share can be configured to control exactly which information is made available to recipients. See Configuring Shared Data below.

Connecting to a Data Share 

After creating a share:

  1. Open the share. 

  2. Click the option to generate a Sharing Token.

  3. Provide the token to the recipient.

The recipient should then:

  1. Open Data Sharing in their Equinox system. 

  2. Click Add Data Source.

  3. Paste the Sharing Token.

  4. Click Submit.

Equinox will identify the share and establish the connection request.

Authorising a Recipient 

A recipient cannot access shared information until they have been authorised by the sender.

To authorise a recipient:

  1. Open the share on the sending system.  

  2. Review the pending recipient.

  3. Click Authorise.

Once authorised, the recipient can access data made available through the share.

Configuring Shared Data 

Data Shares provide filtering options to ensure only relevant information is shared.

Case Filters

You can limit sharing by:

  • Category 

  • Status 

  • Client 

  • Applicant 

  • Individual cases

  • Entire families 

You can also explicitly include or exclude specific cases or families from a share.

Task Filters

Task sharing can be restricted by:

  • Deadline type 

  • Task type

  • Other task-related filters available within the share configuration  

Document Filters

Document sharing can be restricted by:

  • Locked documents

  • Unlocked documents

  • Specific document folders or categories  

Importing and Processing Updates 

After connecting to a share, the recipient can update their matter list to retrieve available cases from the sender's system.

During this process Equinox will:

  1. Search for matching matters.  

  2. Automatically match cases where references correspond.

  3. Identify unmatched cases that can be created locally.

Automatic Case Matching

Cases are automatically linked when:

  • The sender's client reference matches the receiver's matter code. 

  • In some scenarios, matching case references may also be used.

Creating New Matters

Where no matching matter exists, users can create a new case directly from the shared data. The new matter will be populated using information from the sender's system.

Processing Bibliographic Updates 

When changes are detected on the sender's system, Equinox creates update events for review.

For example, if grant information is added by a law firm, the client can:

  1. Open the update event.  

  2. Review the differences.

  3. Click Process Event to import the new information.

This comparison process is similar to the existing PTO data comparison functionality.

Processing Task Updates 

Task differences can also be reviewed and imported.

For example, if a deadline date differs between systems, Equinox will identify the discrepancy and allow the recipient to update their task so that it matches the sender's record.

Processing Document Updates

When new documents are shared:

  1. Open the document event. 

  2. Review the available documents.

  3. Select which documents to import.

  4. Process the event.

Imported documents are added to the recipient's Equinox system and can be managed like any other document.

Automatic vs Manual Updates

Recipients can choose how incoming updates are handled. Depending on the configuration, data can be:

  • Ignored 

  • Reviewed manually before import

  • Imported automatically without user intervention

These settings can be configured on a field-by-field basis for bibliographic information and other shared data types.

How the Sync Compares and Updates Data 

The sync runs automatically each night, or can be triggered manually from the Data Source screen. Each sync performs the following steps:

Update the Matter List

The receiving system fetches the current list of cases from the sending system and attempts to match any newly shared or unmatched cases to local cases.

Bibliographic Comparison

For each linked case, the system fetches the latest matter data from the sender. It converts the remote data into a local case object, then compares it against the current local version field by field. The following data is included in the comparison:

  • Short title and long title

  • Matter code / client reference

  • Priority, application, publication, grant, and national registration entry history dates 

  • Custom history dates 

  • Goods and classification entries (type, class, sub-class, language, goods/services text)

  • Applicants and inventors (name, formal name, address)

  • Category and sub-category

  • Country

Any detected differences are recorded as Data Events and handled according to the configured update mode:

  • Auto-update – the local field is updated immediately

  • Manual review – the difference is queued as a suggestion that a user must accept or reject

Task Comparison

The system fetches tasks modified since the last sync date. For each remote task on a linked case, it checks whether the task already exists locally (by remote ID). New tasks are created; existing tasks are compared for changes to:

  • Description

  • Due date

  • Status (open or done)

  • Done date

Differences are either auto-applied or queued for manual review, depending on the Task updates setting. 

Document Comparison

The system fetches documents modified since the last sync date. For each remote document on a linked case, it checks whether the document already exists locally. New documents are created; existing documents are compared for changes to:

  • Filename

  • Title

  • Date

  • File content (transmitted as Base64, decoded on receipt)

Differences are either auto-applied or queued for manual review, depending on the Document updates setting. File content is stored separately until the change is applied.

Completion

After all comparisons are complete, the last sync date is updated and all processed events are marked accordingly. A log entry is recorded for the sync. 

Important Notes

  • Data Share is a one-way synchronisation tool. Information flows only from the sender to the recipient. 

  • Recipients cannot edit data in the sender's system.

  • Imported data becomes part of the recipient's own Equinox database.

  • Recipients may continue to work with imported matters as normal and add their own information locally.

  • The sender controls which cases, tasks, and documents are available through the share.

  • Authorisation is required before a recipient can access shared information.