Etched
Law Firms

Legal-grade evidence infrastructure for IP, trade secrets and AI-assisted creation.

Etched enables law firms and enterprise legal teams to help their clients capture, structure and evidence valuable work from the moment it is created — building a defensible record of ownership, contribution, confidentiality, provenance and chain of custody.

Built for chain of custody. Designed for human contribution. Ready for disputes.

Explore use cases
Etched evidence workspace for law firms
The problem

IP evidence is usually built too late.

By the time a client needs to prove ownership, originality, invention, authorship, use, contribution or confidentiality, the evidence is often scattered across emails, laptops, cloud drives, freelancers, agencies, suppliers, AI tools and old file versions.

"Evidence is gathered only when there's a problem, and that in and of itself is the problem."
— Victor Caddy, Trade Mark Attorney, 38 years' experience

Scattered creation records

Creative, technical and commercial work is developed across people, platforms and devices, with no clear record of who did what, when, or why.

Weak chain of custody

Files may exist, but there is often no reliable evidence trail showing how they were created, amended, shared, approved or protected over time.

Human and AI contribution uncertainty

As clients use AI tools more heavily, firms need a defensible way to show what came from human input, what came from AI output, and how the final work evolved.

Trade secret and confidentiality risk

Clients may believe they have protected confidential material, but struggle to demonstrate reasonable steps, controlled access and a clear audit trail.

Litigation evidence pressure

When disputes arise, firms are forced to reconstruct timelines manually from scattered folders, inboxes, screenshots and witness recollections.

Client service opportunity

Law firms can help clients prevent IP evidence problems before they become disputes, filings or transactions.

Before + After

From scattered files to defensible IP evidence.

Before Etched
Evidence rebuilt after the event
  • Files spread across inboxes, drives, laptops and client systems
  • Creation timelines are unclear or incomplete
  • Freelancer, supplier and contributor records are hard to prove
  • AI prompts, outputs and human edits are not captured clearly
  • Trade secret access and confidentiality controls are difficult to evidence
  • Lawyers spend time reconstructing history manually
After — with Etched
Evidence captured from inception
  • One secure workspace for files, versions, contributors and timestamps
  • Chain of custody built as work develops
  • Human contribution and AI-assisted outputs can be evidenced
  • Access, sharing and collaboration are permissioned and auditable
  • Trade secret handling supported by clear records of control
  • Exportable timelines, audit trails and evidence packs
Faster
Less time reconstructing evidence and chronologies after the event
More defensible
A clearer record of who did what, when, how and with whom
Better client service
A proactive IP evidence service clients can use before disputes arise
Voice from the field

What IP lawyers recognise immediately.

Case study · International IP practice

Cutting evidence reconstruction time on design disputes.

"If they had used this system, we wouldn't have to do any of this — it would be clear who did what."
— IP lawyer, international law firm
Challenge

Reconstructing design creation timelines from scattered client files for an unregistered design dispute.

Solution

A secure IP evidence workspace with timestamped versions, contributor records, sharing history and evidence tagging.

Implementation

Rolled out to selected IP clients as a law firm-supported evidence capture and protection service.

Results

A clearer, defensible record of contribution, creation and chain of custody — reducing the need to rebuild the story after the event.

Use case validated by

Earl Grey, Barrister-at-Law.

Matter workspace example

More case studies coming soon.

Use cases

Built for IP, innovation and evidence-led legal work.

Evidence Capture

Capture copyright, design, brand, content, software and creative asset development from the earliest idea through to final version.

Benefits
  • Evidence creation from inception
  • Record authorship, ownership and contribution
  • Support copyright, design and proof-of-use matters
Workflow
  1. 1Create client or project workspace
  2. 2Upload early ideas, drafts and versions
  3. 3Record contributors and timestamps
  4. 4Track sharing and access
  5. 5Export evidence pack when needed
Workflow examples

How firms put Etched to work.

IP evidence capture programme

IP evidence capture programme

  1. 1Set up client workspace
  2. 2Capture early ideas and versions
  3. 3Record contributors and timestamps
  4. 4Track access and sharing
  5. 5Export evidence pack
AI contribution review

AI contribution review

  1. 1Capture prompt and source material
  2. 2Save AI output
  3. 3Record human edits
  4. 4Link final asset
  5. 5Produce contribution report
Trade secret protection

Trade secret protection

  1. 1Identify confidential material
  2. 2Create permissioned workspace
  3. 3Control access
  4. 4Track sharing and activity
  5. 5Export audit trail
Platform features

Capabilities purpose-built for IP evidence, provenance and audit.

Every capability in Etched is designed around confidentiality, provenance, chain of custody and legal-grade audit trails from day one.

Evidence Capture from Inception

Capture work from the earliest idea, sketch, draft, prompt, prototype, file or note.

Chain of Custody

Record uploads, versions, contributors, sharing, access and key activity across the life of an asset.

Human and AI Contribution Trail

Capture prompts, outputs, source material, human edits and final versions to support AI governance and authorship analysis.

Version History

Track how assets evolve over time, including new versions, edits and supporting materials.

Contributor Records

Show who contributed to the development of work across employees, freelancers, suppliers, agencies and collaborators.

Secure Workspaces

Organise evidence by client, matter, project, asset, product, brand, campaign or invention.

Permissioned Access

Control who can view, upload, comment, download or collaborate.

Revocable Secure Sharing

Share securely with clients, experts, collaborators or counterparties while maintaining control.

Audit Trail and Evidence Packs

Export structured records to support legal review, filings, disputes, transactions or internal governance.

Deployment

Legal-grade security for sensitive client work.

Etched is designed for confidential, high-value and legally sensitive material. Firms and clients can collaborate in secure, permissioned workspaces without losing visibility over who accessed what, when, and under what permissions.

Security
Encrypted storage, permissioned workspaces, controlled sharing and revocable access for sensitive client material.
Governance
Audit trails across files, versions, contributors, access, sharing, prompts and AI-assisted outputs.
Flexible Deployment
Deploy firm-wide, by client, by matter, by practice group or as a co-branded client service.
Implementation
Guided rollout with the firm, client and Etched team to structure workspaces around real legal use cases.
Deployment and audit view in Etched
Get in touch

See how Etched can support your clients.

Book a tailored demo to explore how Etched can support IP evidence capture, chain of custody, human contribution, AI governance, trade secret protection and litigation readiness.

Email us
hello@etched.app
Talk to the team
Consultation, pilot scoping or launch partner model