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Bates numbering (also known as Bates stamping, Bates branding, Bates coding or Bates labeling) is a method of sequentially Pagination with a reference number. A hand-operated Bates numbering device is used to "stamp" a number on a page, and the numbers will automatically advance after each stamping. Bates numbering is used in the legal, medical, and business fields to place one or more of identifying numbers, date and time marks on images and documents as they are scanned or processed, for example, during the discovery stage of preparations for trial or identifying business receipts. Bates stamping can be used to mark and identify images with copyrights by putting a company name, logo, and/or legal copyright on them. This process provides identification, protection, and automatic consecutive numbering of the pages.
The earliest patent claimed a "new and useful improvement in Consecutive-Numbering Machines", Patent US484391A indicating that Bates was not the originator of the idea. Bates' objective was "generally to increase the effectiveness, simplicity and compactness of machines of this general character". Each time the machine was pressed down onto a sheet of paper, a rotating wheel was moved incrementally. The original machine described by Bates allowed numbering with a four-digit sequence, ranging from 0000 to 9999. For example, page 852 in a document set would be 0852. Courts and law firms quickly adopted this system.
In later versions, the machine could be set to stamp the number multiple times, i.e., duplicates or triplicates. One drawback was the ink and pad: they could dry, making the numbers illegible.
Operating as Bates Manufacturing Company since its incorporation in 1890, Bates later used the name Bates Machine Company, later renamed to Bates Numbering Machine Company. This company became Roberts Numbering Machine Company.
In 1921, Clarence S. A. Williams purchased the company and served as its president until 1958.
In 1993, General Binding Corporation (now General Binding LLC) acquired Bates Manufacturing Company. International directory of company histories. Vol. 10 (1995) p.314
Manual Bates stampers use a self-inking mechanism with four to seven numbered wheels. Some stampers allow for consecutive, repeat, duplicate, and triplicate numbering.
Self-adhesive labels printed with Bates numbers are common today, as is electronic discovery (eDiscovery) software that can electronically "stamp" documents stored as computer files by superimposing numbers onto them.
Bates numbering is neither universally used nor consistently applied; for example, Bluebook style guide does not reference it. But, consistent with The Bluebook, the first citation should make it very clear what is being referenced, such as (Bates Jones000001) or (Bates d123-002), and subsequent consecutive cites should follow the usual practice of Id. followed by the page number, such as ( Id. 000017) or ( Id. -017).
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