"Bates Numbering" or "Bates Stamping"

A system of sequentially numbering document pages in paper or electronic form as part of litigation discovery to uniquely identify each page scanned or processed. A Bates stamp is often in the form of the first three letters of a litigation party, followed by a number, e.g. SMI 0005426. By marking each document (or photograph) with a unique alphanumeric identifier, one may demonstrate that a document has been produced. Bates numbering documents also helps to track discovery responses over time. Use of a numbering system also helps you better identify documents which you are withholding on the basis of privilege or work product. Bates numbering is also used to track what documents you have given to your consultant or expert. Finally, alpha-numbering documents also gives you a handy way of referring to them on the record at depositions. Bates numbers may be applied manually through a self inking stamp that incremented a sequential number each time it was pressed down on a document, or increasingly, though software that applies a Bates number to an electronic document.