Back

Honu FAQs

July 31, 2025
How many users can we have?

As many as you want! We recommend one account per person using it, but you can also have a number of users sharing the same account.

How many users can be using it at the same time?

As many as you want!

What if they are on the same account?

Not an issue!

Can one of our accounts see items entered from another one of our accounts?

Yes!

What happens if I make a mistake when entering an item?

Items entered through Honu still go through rigorous validation and if discrepancies are detected, they will be caught and corrected by our highly trained Docketers.

I don’t know the application number yet. What do I do?

Just enter the docketing number, you can add the application number in a later transaction.

We need emails to be able to be sent to our clients when we send these. How should we do that?

There is a place for you to specify email recipients when entering into Honu. This will send an email to any of those people. (In the near future it will also remember who it was last sent to and pre-fill that in and show that data on the matter validation page)

The application number tied to this docket number is wrong!

Just send us an email to support@blackhillsip.com. We are working on making an automated way to correct/merge/prevent duplicates but it is not ready yet.

How should European validations be submitted?

Submit validations under the docket number for the European Patent Office (EPO) matter. For example, if you are doing validations for France and Germany, you would enter the docket number for the EPO matter, select the action as Validations → France and follow the flow, the repeat for Germany.

Why is it not possible to upload a zip file?

One of the primary benefits of Honu is identifying what each attachment is. Since a zip file is a compressed folder containing multiple individual files, it prevents us from ensuring all files in that zip are properly assigned a document type. Please just unzip the file and upload the attachments individually.

Can I upload a Kofax Power PDF?

Unfortunately, we do not accept Kofax Power PDFs at this time. Since it uses a .pdf extension, it will still "upload" into the email, but it will be ureadable by the recipient.

Can I check the deadlines added to my Honu submission?

Yes, FA’s can check the deadline within the transaction info before submitting.

They can also see submitted deadlines on the Honu receipt.

What happens if I cannot see the country I am reporting on from the country drop down list?

Just send us an email to support@blackhillsip.com and include the country you wish to report on. We will then add it to your country access list.

Related questions

How to Report an Acknowledgement of Instructions to File an Application

This video walks you through how to report an acknowledgment of instructions to file an application.

How to Report a Granted Application

This video walks you through how to report a granted application through Honu.

How to Report a Published Application

This video walks you through how to report a published application through Honu.

How to Report a Received Office Action

This video walks you through how to report a received office action through Honu.

How to Report a Filed Response to an Office Action

This video walks you through how to report a filed response to an office action through Honu.

How to Add a New User to Your Firm

This walks you through how to add additional users to your firm in Honu.

How to Update Firm Administrators

You can designate as many people as you want in your firm to be an admin. Admins are able to add...

How to Report Out Through Honu

This is a step-by-step guide on how to use our foreign correspondence report out tool, Honu.

How to Connect a Foreign Agent Firm to Your Account

This guide walks you through how to set up a new foreign firm in your Honu account for reporting purposes.

Introduction to Honu

This article explores the benefits of utilizing Honu and includes additional information on what to report, what not to, and how the tool generally works.

Dual Reporting in Honu

This article shows how to report for both a law firm and corporate/other client at the same time. This way both parties are notified of your single Honu submission.