Sovereign AI for patent law firms
9brains combines research, analysis, and firm knowledge in a centrally managed multi-model AI platform. With German core infrastructure, no training on your data, and strict EU mode for particularly sensitive content.
Those who protect intellectual property should choose their AI sovereignly, too.
7 days free · no credit card
30 minutes, no obligation · with IT or data protection on request
Law firm practice
Patent attorneys work with information whose premature disclosure can impair the value of an intellectual property right. The answer is neither uncontrolled use nor a blanket ban, but a centrally governed and traceable environment.
Unpublished technical information, strategies, and client data do not belong in unexamined consumer AI accounts. In addition to data protection and professional secrecy, confidential treatment can be decisive for the novelty of an invention.
A data processing agreement addresses personal data. Professional secrets can go further. When using external AI services, the relevant professional and criminal secrecy obligations must be considered.
AI can formulate convincingly while still naming incorrect decisions, file numbers, or publications. Professional review remains essential.
Patent claims, technical terminology, and formal translations leave little room for interpretation. AI can prepare work, but it does not replace final review.
Efficiency gains must not lower the standard of care. Firms need clear roles, approval points, sources, and rules of use.
Private individual accounts lead to inconsistent settings, unclear data flows, and missing governance. A central platform creates shared approvals and security rules.
Institutional context
Germany and France define digital sovereignty as the ability to develop, use, adapt, and control digital technologies independently, self-determinedly, and securely. The criteria include protecting sensitive data, avoiding lock-in effects, and resilient infrastructure.
For a patent law firm, this becomes a practical question: who processes sensitive invention and client information, where does it happen, and under which contractual conditions?
Joint Franco-German definition, 17 June 2026The 9brains answer
The four central security and sovereignty features at a glance.
The core platform, production data, and requested chat histories are hosted in Hetzner data centres in Germany. Encrypted backups are kept in Helsinki within the EU.
For every model provided on the platform, we contractually ensure that neither your inputs nor generated responses are used for training. This applies regardless of sovereignty mode and ZDR status.
Zero Data Retention (ZDR) means that the respective model provider discards submitted data immediately after processing and does not store it temporarily. Without ZDR, the provider may retain data for a limited period, for example to detect abuse. The current ZDR status is visible for every model in our platform.
In strict EU mode, only EU-sovereign models are approved. Model processing then takes place entirely and physically on EU infrastructure. This mode is intended for client and invention secrets.
Contractual basis
The 9brains data processing agreement governs processing of personal data under Article 28 GDPR. The supplemental agreement for professional secret holders extends contractual rules to third-party client, business, and other professional secrets, regardless of whether they are personal data.
German professional rules require careful provider selection, a text-form contract, confidentiality obligations, and rules for further persons involved. For directly mandate-related services with access to third-party secrets, client consent may need to be obtained and documented.
Discuss the DPA, supplemental agreement, and professional-law requirements in 30 minutes, together with IT or data protection if you wish.
Traceability
The data flow clearly separates the 9brains platform, model processing, retention at the model provider, and your optionally stored chat history.
Authorised users submit content through encrypted transmission.
9brains checks permissions, adds approved context, and forwards the required data to the selected model.
The model processes the request according to the selected sovereignty mode. Strict EU mode is intended for client and invention secrets.
The response returns encrypted. With ZDR, the model provider discards the data immediately; without ZDR, limited retention may occur.
If you choose to save the conversation, it is retained separately from model processing on the 9brains platform in Germany.
The sovereignty mode controls step 3
Your administrators determine which model categories are available. The following levels explain the product logic.
EU-sovereign models only, with model processing entirely on EU infrastructure.
Wider model choice for everyday business under the defined data protection rules.
Global models only for deliberately approved, non-critical, non-personal content.
Productive use
Structure lengthy descriptions, office actions, and attachments, and prepare search terms, classes, and synonyms for research.
Prepare first drafts of client communications, statements, and internal memoranda.
Make technical texts accessible across languages and then perform expert final review.
Retrieve templates, internal guidelines, and quality standards from approved documents with linked references.
Use skills and agents with defined roles, approval points, and traceable sources.
Specialist integration for patent research
With 9brains, you can research publicly available patent information from the European Patent Office directly in your working environment. Combine AI-assisted analysis with structured patent data while retaining expert review in your law firm.
Search patent publications and bibliographic data from the European Patent Office.
Structure technical content, compare IP information, and prepare expert assessment.
Recognise relationships between publications, family members, and available legal-status information.
Use CPC classifications to narrow down and compare relevant technical fields more quickly.
Research question
European Patent Office data
AI-assisted analysis with source context
Important: The integration supports research with publicly available patent data. Expert and legal assessment, including verification of authoritative register entries, remains with your law firm. Do not transmit unpublished invention or client secrets as search criteria to external patent data sources.
FAQ
No, not without prior classification. Establish binding rules of use and use strict EU mode for client and invention secrets. Your law firm assesses additional mandate-related requirements and any consent needed for the specific case.
No. For every model provided through 9brains, we contractually ensure that neither your inputs nor generated responses are used for training. This applies regardless of sovereignty mode and ZDR status.
With Zero Data Retention, the respective model provider discards your data immediately after processing without temporary storage. Without ZDR, the same model provider may retain data for a limited period, for example to detect abuse. Your requested chat history is stored separately in Germany.
The core platform and production data are in Germany. Encrypted backups are stored in Finland within the EU. The AI model processing location depends on the sovereignty mode. In strict EU mode, model processing is also entirely on EU infrastructure.
The 9brains core platform is operated by Hetzner in Germany and therefore not by a US cloud provider. In modes other than strict EU mode, models from international or US providers may be approved. Strict EU mode is provided for processing restricted entirely to EU infrastructure.
The DPA governs personal data under GDPR. 9brains also provides an agreement for professional secret holders. For directly mandate-related services with access to third-party secrets, documented client consent may nevertheless be required.
Yes. The EPO integration lets you search publicly available patent information and incorporate it into AI-assisted analysis. It supports, but does not replace, expert verification of sources, legal status, and legal assessment by your law firm.
Next step
In 30 minutes, we show data flows, sovereignty modes, contractual documents, and useful use cases for your law firm. No generic AI show, with focus on your security and professional-law questions.
