While keyword searches have given way to technology-assisted review in e-discovery, in the intellectual property space they are being replaced by something entirely different: visual search. The move to leverage visualization in recent years is in large part an attempt to address the lack of standardization and explosive growth in the IP market.

“There is a trend towards visual analytics because nowadays it’s much easier for users to absorb a lot of data in a visual format,” said Sandra Mau, CEO and founder of TrademarkVision, an image recognition technology company.