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.

Toni Nijm is Chief Product Officer at Anaqua and former CEO of RightHub. A serial entrepreneur and IP expert, he previously held senior roles at CPA Global and co-founded Ipendo. With a background in law, physics, and engineering, Toni brings deep expertise in intellectual property and innovation strategy.

I have spent much of the last two decades thinking about how technology can transform the intellectual property (IP) industry - initially as a patent attorney, then as a founder of IP technology companies, and recently in my current role as Chief Product Officer at Anaqua.

AI has the potential to radically transform the IP industry. But the key to successful implementation is a clear understanding how IP professionals can deploy AI effectively to empower their roles in an increasingly complex IP landscape.

Adopting New Technology in a Risk-Averse Market

IP assets are highly valuable, and the IP industry is highly regulated, so managing IP carries significant consequences. IP professionals are bound by strict standards of conduct and responsibility. Given this, it is perhaps unsurprising that IP attorneys and corporate professionals need convincing to adopt new processes unless the benefits demonstrably outweigh the risks. New workflows, applications, and platforms - powered by AI - need to solve the real challenges that IP professionals face.

These challenges usually boil down to two issues. The first is managing ever-increasing workloads more efficiently.

• A survey conducted by Thomson Reuters Legal Department Operations Index 2022 showed 65% of in-house law teams felt the volume of legal work they handled had increased in the past year.
• Meanwhile, Deloitte's 2022 State of Legal Operations Survey revealed that only 15% of general counsel felt they have appropriate attorney headcount and only 10% have appropriate support staff headcount.
• A separate survey of UK IP professionals conducted by IP Inclusive found widespread stress or anxiety among respondents caused by workload, with 40 percent of those surveyed considering leaving the profession altogether. Driving productivity from technology needs to reduce human workloads and enable IP professionals to focus on work that delivers value, not volume.

This leads to the second challenge - generating meaningful insight from vast volumes of IP data - modern and historical - to help drive better decision making around innovation.

I consistently hear from clients that there is an increasing demand from management; they need to generate better insight from their own IP data and external data; and they need to be able to assess the real return on investment derived from IP assets. Lean IP teams need the IP technology to help them effectively achieve this.

Carefully deployed AI solutions can support both objectives. So, it is little surprise that the IP professionals from corporates and law firms are eager to take advantage of the potential of AI.

AI Adoption Driving Efficiencies

AI adoption is already helping reduce the time spent on routine tasks in every office environment. AI-driven improvements in technologies such as optical character recognition (OCR) and accurate transcription of meetings offer time saving efficiencies across every industry, not just IP, and are deployed routinely to complete these tasks in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take.

AI driven translation services now offer fast and accurate multi-language transcription that can be adopted simply and effectively, requiring IP professionals simply to check and verify rather than to create and operate. Each of these applications has the potential to save time, reduce costs and free staff from mundane daily tasks.

There are plenty of opportunities for deploying AI to specific IP applications too. Companies are already using AI to automate data entry from relevant documents in the submission of IP related forms to various PTOs. As data extraction from emails becomes better, AI will automatically action communications from patent offices, updating IP management platforms as they go.

Other relevant applications include using AI to search for prior art, reducing a historically lengthy process to just seconds, and creating first drafts of patent submissions automatically, which the IP professional can then check and edit as required.

Realistically, any law firm or corporate IP department that does not build an AI adoption path to automate IP tasks and drive major efficiencies will quickly find themselves left behind.

Insight from Data-Driven Decision Making 

For all the transformational potential of AI for productivity, insight from data offers an equally - or perhaps more - compelling narrative. AI's unrivalled capability to generate insight from large data sets can transform how IP attorneys and corporate professionals understand historical and current IP data.

AI can help IP professionals link disparate but connected ideas across a complex IP landscape, providing deeper insight into global innovation and helping connect ideas generated across countries and industries. This becomes even more important as a wider range of devices are connected to the internet (from connected cars to consumer goods). IP protection that was traditionally relevant to a specific market may easily extend to multiple others. AI's ability to find valuable trends in large volumes of IP data is particularly suited to making these connections.

AI Process, Human Control

AI should be deployed to empower IP professionals - not to diminish their role, because AI output needs professionals to ensure its output is plausible and risk free. When law firms and corporate IP departments deploy AI to transform productivity around repetitive and mundane tasks, it should enable IP professionals to do more checking and less doing. This will help ensure AI output is plausible and relevant, based on professional expertise and experience.

Freeing up staff time to focus on more strategic work, such as driving better decision making through AI empowered analysis of IP data, would be much more beneficial. AI can only deliver value from data with significant human direction driving meaningful outputs.

This human-centric approach allows organizations to benefit from speed and scalability without compromising professional oversight. By embedding this AI with human oversight into workflows, IP teams can achieve the efficiency, insight and risk management that stakeholders demand as well as empowering IP professionals to do more strategic and valuable work.

The Future of AI-Managed Ideation

Within a decade the most innovative corporations will be using AI to transform the entire Innovation process. AI will listen to meetings, read documents and emails and combine this new information with historical IP data to flag potential inventions to IP professionals for action. This shift should enable IP teams to capture more ideas and potential innovation, faster. In addition, IP teams will be able to better understand how to combine different assets into new ideas and to deliver effective monetization strategy for the world's best innovators.

Discover Anaqua's AI Solutions

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:

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+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