IP monitoring tools may not have gained widespread adoption within the broader legal community. But there's a chance that law firms and legal departments could begin outsourcing more of that associated work to freelancers and alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) in lieu of doing it themselves. 

Mark Yacano, a managing director in Major, Lindsey & Africa's transform advisory services team, opined that ALSPs may become the true customer base for IP monitoring solutions if corporate legal departments begin outsourcing that work to deflate costs. Some legal departments already rely on a global network of outside counsel to monitor IP laws in various countries.