The Story Behind BOA 

Have you ever struggled to tie your shoelaces? Gary Hammerslag did too, and that frustration led him to found BOA, the leader in performance footwear, in 2001.

As a parent, Gary often found himself bending over to tie his kids’ snowboard boots and hockey skates. Each time the laces came undone, his kids had to stop what they were doing to re-tie them—an inconvenience that disrupted their performance and enjoyment. This recurring problem inspired Gary to create a better solution, sparking the idea for BOA’s innovative dial closure system.

After numerous prototypes and rigorous testing, the BOA Fit System was born. This novel system replaced traditional laces with a dial, allowing for a fast, effortless, precision fit. The result? Shoes that fasten snugly, enhancing performance without interruption. BOA’s technology not only revolutionized snowboarding but also found applications in cycling, medical bracing, and beyond.

With their first partners, K2 and Vans, BOA launched its groundbreaking snowboard boots in 2001. Today, BOA’s innovative closure system is a standard across snowboarding brands and is widely used in other industries, including golf, trail running, and cycling.

Prior to using Patsnap, we used other patent searching software, but they weren’t nearly as user-friendly. There wasn’t much search or keyword ability, so we spent more time reading through pages of patent disclosures.

— Bobby Dickensheets, Director of IP and Legal, BOA

The challenge: navigating a complex innovation landscape 

BOA’s success brought significant challenges. Managing an extensive IP portfolio of over 200 patents while staying ahead of competitors in a fast-paced market required a robust innovation strategy.

For Bobby Dickensheets, BOA’s Director of IP and Legal, IP management and competitive intelligence are key responsibilities. However, relying on outdated tools and fragmented data made it difficult to track industry trends, monitor competitors, and derive actionable insights.

BOA needed a solution to connect the dots across various data sources, streamline their IP processes, and generate faster, more valuable insights into competitors’ IP and technology trends.

The solution: Patsnap’s AI-powered innovation intelligence platform

To overcome these challenges, BOA turned to Patsnap’s innovation intelligence platform. Unlike traditional patent databases, Patsnap offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to consolidate resources, streamline workflows, and enable strategic decision-making.

The decision to transition to Patsnap was driven by its user-friendly interface and advanced features. Patsnap provides AI tools for saving searches, analyzing competitor activity, and understanding where companies focus their IP and innovation efforts. These capabilities enable the BOA team to effectively monitor trends, track spending priorities, and identify potential risks or opportunities.

With Patsnap Analytics and Patsnap Insights, BOA is now able to:

• • Access accurate, updated global data to monitor competitors and emerging trends.
• • Consolidate patent data into a single, intuitive platform for easier analysis.
• • Track competitors’ strategies, innovation categories, and technology developments in real time.

The results: transforming BOA’s competitive edge

1. Enhanced competitive monitoring

BOA now seamlessly tracks competitors’ patent strategies, identifies emerging players, and monitors global trends. With Patsnap’s automatic alerts, Dickensheets stays up-to-date on industry developments and can respond proactively. This insight has allowed BOA to pivot strategies, enforce patents, and even initiate lawsuits to protect its intellectual property.

2. Streamlined IP management

Patsnap’s intuitive platform simplifies IP workflows. Features like file wrapper alerts and workspaces enable Dickensheets to organize patent portfolios, monitor legal changes, and identify potential infringement risks.

File wrapper alerts: BOA tracks key patents in their industry and receives updates on expirations, issuances, or legal status changes.

Workspaces: BOA organizes competitors’ portfolios to monitor trends and identify areas of potential encroachment.

Similar patent search: BOA identifies unknown or smaller competitors operating under the radar.

3. Better business decisions

Access to real-time innovation and technology trends has empowered BOA to maintain its leadership in performance footwear. Patsnap enables Dickensheets to report on industry insights and tailor BOA’s strategies, whether through new product designs or brand partnerships.

Why Patsnap? A customer-centric approach

Beyond its robust platform, BOA values Patsnap’s dedication to customer success. Patsnap’s team provides ample support, responds quickly to feedback, and implements feature requests to meet customers’ evolving needs.

BOA’s journey forward

With Patsnap as a trusted partner, BOA continues to lead the performance footwear industry, staying ahead of competitors and innovating to meet customer needs. From its humble beginnings as a solution for untied shoelaces to becoming a global leader in performance innovation, BOA’s story is one of relentless problem-solving and transformative technology.