Unify your IP world with AQX

In the highly competitive world of sportswear, innovation is key to staying ahead. This case study explores how ADIDAS strategically leverages intellectual property (IP) to drive innovation, protect valuable assets, and align its IP practices with broader business goals. Through the implementation of the Anaqua AQX®  IP platform and a focused approach to cross-functional collaboration, ADIDAS transformed its IP function into a strategic business partner-enhancing operational efficiency, strengthening innovation pipelines, and reinforcing its global market position.

TESTIMONIAL

“Anaqua AQX provides us with a high degree of automation and relieves us of much of the time‑consuming repetitive work... It’s also helpful to have all our patents, designs, trademarks, and related agreements in one centralized IP management platform.”

- Christof Wolpert, Vice President, Global Legal Product Creation, ADIDAS

CHALLENGES

• Maintaining Competitive Edge: In a fiercely competitive industry, ADIDAS needed to ensure its innovations were not only protected but also strategically aligned with business goals.

• IP Awareness Across the Business: Educating internal stakeholders on the value of IP and integrating IP strategy into broader business decisions was a persistent challenge.

• Efficient IP Management: Managing a global portfolio of patents, trademarks, and designs required a centralized, transparent, and efficient system.

TESTIMONIAL

"The new AI Classifier by Anaqua is a true gamechanger for us."

- Christof Wolpert, Vice President, Global Legal Product Creation, ADIDAS

LOOKING AHEAD

Anaqua's AQX platform delivers workflow automation that aligns to your organization's needs, drives
productivity, and improves visibility - from search, to filing, to renewal. Equally robust for trademarks,
disputes, oppositions, TTAB proceedings, and contracts, AQX allows you to easily keep up with daily
demands. And, by using our data verification feature

First Planning Steps and Helpful Tips

Your company knows there is a lot to gain from today's new IP management platforms - AI tools, automated workflows for better collaboration, better portfolio oversight and more. Here's a handy guide to formulate your plan for change and prepare for a smooth vendor evaluation and buying process.

TOKYO, Japan, January 28st, 2026 - Anaqua, the leading provider of innovation and intellectual property (IP) management technology solutions and services, today announced that Advantest Corporation, a world-class provider of semiconductor test technology, has chosen Anaqua's AI-powered AQXŽ IP management platform for global IP management and drive its robust innovation strategy.

In a semiconductor market that is evolving at an unprecedented pace, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence, electrification and next-generation devices, Advantest faces an unavoidable need to advance innovation and strengthen its IP management. Advantest chose Anaqua's AQX platform for its ability to respond to rapid market changes with both flexibility and boldness, helping the company maintain a competitive advantage in an increasingly dynamic environment. By leveraging AQX, Advantest aims to standardize business processes and reduce operational complexity, streamline IP workflows across its global offices, while enhancing its IP operations using data-driven insights.

Additionally, as Advantest seeks to strategically utilize its global IP portfolio to better support its overall business going forward, Anaqua's AQX platform will enable them to collaborate with IP law firms globally as well as gain access to information from patent office databases worldwide, delivering greater efficiency, accuracy, and strategic insight.

Anaqua's AQX platform offers:

• Integrated IP data management with patent office connectivity for accuracy and compliance
• AI-driven workflows to automate tasks and reduce dependency on individual expertise
• Advanced dashboards and analytics for strategic decision-making
• Scalable global implementation to support Advantest's expanding operations

"We are honored that Advantest has selected Anaqua's AQX IP management platform," said Justin Crotty, CEO of Anaqua. "This milestone reflects Anaqua's deepening partnerships with the world's most innovative companies and underscores our unwavering commitment to deliver flexible, secure and AI-powered IP solutions that help innovators stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market."

"Advantest Corporation has a remarkable 70-year legacy of driving innovation and shaping the semiconductor testing industry," said Kazuyasu Adachi, President and General Manager, Japan & APAC, Anaqua. "In this era of rapid technological advancement, demand for high-performance, AI-driven semiconductors accelerates. Advantest continues to lead with cutting-edge testing systems, and we are proud to partner with them, delivering AI-powered IP management solutions that protect their valuable intellectual property assets, while supporting their continuous innovation growth."

Anaqua's AQX platform is trusted by the world's leading innovators and brands, as well as a growing number of law firms worldwide. Its end-to-end integration of data, analytics, and execution enables IP professionals to move seamlessly from insight to action, enhancing efficiency, reducing risk, and maximizing the strategic value of IP assets.

About Advantest Corporation

https://www.advantest.com/en/.

About Anaqua

Anaqua, Inc. is a premier provider of integrated intellectual property (IP) management technology solutions and services for corporations and law firms. Its IP management software platforms, AQXŽ, PATTSY WAVEŽ, and RightHubŽ offer best practice workflows with big data analytics and tech-enabled services to create an intelligent environment designed to inform IP strategy, enable IP decision-making, and streamline IP operations, tailored to each segment's needs. Today, nearly half of the top 100 U.S. patent filers and global brands, as well as a growing number of law firms worldwide use Anaqua's solutions. Over two million IP executives, attorneys, paralegals, administrators, and innovators use the platform for their IP management needs. The company's global operations are headquartered in Boston, with offices across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia. For additional information, please visit anaqua.com, or on Anaqua's LinkedIn.

Media Inquiries:

media@anaqua.com
+1 617-375-5808

In a world where innovation drives competitive advantage, Microsoft needed an intellectual property (IP) management solution as dynamic as its business. Facing challenges with fragmented systems, limited automation, and growing data complexity, the company turned to Anaqua's AQX® platform. This case study explores how Microsoft partnered with Anaqua to unify its global IP operations, achieve up to 40% efficiency gains, and build a future-ready IP ecosystem powered by AI and automation.

TESTIMONIAL

"We work with Anaqua to maximize the efficiency and productivity of our IP management processes, and to develop new features to better support the whole IP management department in driving Microsoft's innovation and IP strategy."

- Raghu Chinagudabha,
Microsoft's Senior Director of Patent Engineering and IP Operations

CHALLENGES

Microsoft's Intellectual Property (IP) department plays a pivotal role in supporting the company's culture of innovation. However, their legacy IP management system was struggling to keep pace with the company's dynamic needs. Key challenges included:

• Fragmented processes: Critical tasks like IDS processing were handled separately, leading to inefficiencies and limited visibility.
• Lack of automation: Manual checks were required for many processes, increasing delays and costs.
• Inflexibility: The existing system couldn't adapt quickly to Microsoft's evolving business requirements.
• Data management complexity: Managing annuity payments for over 30,000 assets annually required better tools for budget control and strategic decisionmaking

RESULTS

• 40% time and cost savings achieved in key areas through platform integration and automation.
• Rapid stabilization postmigration, with major errors dropping to negligible levels within three months.
• Unified IP ecosystem enabling better visibility, efficiency, and strategic decision-making.
• AI and automation are central to Microsoft's future vision for IP management.
• Strong partnership with Anaqua, marked by flexibility, responsiveness, and collaborative innovation.

TESTIMONIAL

"With Microsoft's culture of fast-paced innovation, we needed an IP platform that was flexible and adaptable to meet our ever-changing business needs."

- Raghu Chinagudabha,
Microsoft's Senior Director of Patent Engineering and IP Operations

SOLUTION

After a rigorous evaluation process, Microsoft selected Anaqua's AQX® IP Management platform and a comprehensive suite of Anaqua Services. Key elements of the solution included:

End-to-end integration

Patent management, innovation management, portfolio analytics, annuity payments, legal support, and more - all unified in one platform.

Cloud-native infrastructure

Built on Microsoft Azure, ensuring security, scalability, and seamless integration with Microsoft's ecosystem.

Rapid deployment and stability

The platform stabilized far ahead of expectations, with minimal business-impacting errors.

Customizability and collaboration

Anaqua's team worked closely with Microsoft to tailor the platform to their unique operational style.

BUSINESS OUTCOMES

• Operational Efficiency: Microsoft achieved up to 40% time and cost savings in key areas.
• Unified Visibility: All key IP processes - from filings to annuity payments - are now visible in a single dashboard, enabling better decision-making.
• Budget Optimization: Improved projections and asset evaluation tools help manage a large annuity budget more effectively.
• Innovation Enablement: The IP team now plays a more strategic role in supporting Microsoft's engineers and innovation culture.
• Future-Readiness: Microsoft is exploring AI-driven enhancements to further streamline IP lifecycle events, including invention intake, drafting, and docketing.

40% time and cost savings achieved in key areas through platform integration and automation

AQX® delivers workflow automation that aligns to your organization's needs, drives productivity, and improves visibility - from search, to filing, to renewal. Equally robust for trademarks, disputes, oppositions, TTAB proceedings, and contracts, AQX® allows you to easily keep up with daily demands. And, by using our data verification feature that checks with over 180 jurisdictions, you can always have clean, accurate data at your fingertips.

For more information, contact us

Staying compliant is getting tougher. As we move into 2026, export control and sanctions rules are evolving fast, and IP teams are feeling the pressure.

In this Anaqua-sponsored IPWatchdog webinar recording, legal experts on sanctions and export controls share their knowledge. Learn where IP teams are most exposed—and why everyday activities like patent drafting, foreign filings, data access, and IP payments can trigger serious compliance risk. The conversation explores what regulators are focusing on now and how IP management systems can be used to identify, control, and document sensitive IP. Tune in to learn practical ways to turn compliance into a built‑in part of your IP operations, not a last‑minute scramble.

Chapters

• 0:51 — Why Export Controls & Sanctions Matter
• 3:32 — $360M in Penalties: Enforcement Reality
• 4:03 — Sanctions & IP Payments: Where Risk Hides
• 10:09 — Real‑World Sanctions Cases
• 26:54 — Export Controls 101: What Counts as an Export
• 30:52 — IP Systems & Global Access: Hidden Exports
• 55:19 — Mitigation, Compliance & Key Takeaways