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We're excited to welcome Harm van der Heijden, who has left his senior partnership to join Ankar as our new Head of Patent Innovation. Harm joins us from his role as Senior Partner at NLO, bringing with him 17 years of experience at one of Europe's leading IP firms. Harm has long been ahead of the curve in thinking about how AI will reshape the patent profession, consistently challenging conventional approaches and exploring new ways technology can augment expertise, improve outcomes, and redefine how patent work gets done. His experience, perspective, and close connection to the needs of patent professionals will help us identify new opportunities, uncover unmet user needs, and continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Please join us in welcoming Harm to the team. We're excited for what's ahead. Thank you to Managing IP for the exclusive coverage of Harm's move. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e_QTbHGR

Today marks a milestone not just for Ankar, but for the patent industry. I'm excited to welcome Harm van der Heijden to Ankar as our new Head of Patent Innovation. Harm joins us from his role as Senior Partner at NLO, where he spent 17 years advising clients and helping shape patent strategy. To my knowledge, this is the first time a senior partner from the IP profession has joined an AI-native patent and innovation platform. What stood out to me from our earliest conversations wasn't just his expertise. It was his willingness to question the status quo. Every discussion led to new ideas about what practitioners actually need, where existing workflows break down, and how AI can create better outcomes for both patent professionals and innovators. Long before AI became a mainstream topic in patents, Harm was already thinking deeply about how it would change the profession. He understands both the realities of patent practice today and the opportunities that technology creates for the future. I believe we'll see more movement between legal practice and legal technology over the coming years. But every shift starts somewhere, and Harm's move is an important signal of where the industry is heading. Watch the video below to learn more about why he joined, and his perspectives on AI and the future of patent practice.

Today we’re introducing 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑟𝑡 — 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, a new series exploring the people shaping innovation from behind the scenes. At Ankar, we believe that patent professionals have always been at the forefront of protecting innovation and want to recognize their contributions. Through this series, we’ll publish editorial profiles on leading figures in patent law through conversations about invention, curiosity, judgment, and the evolving craft of prosecution itself. Our first profile features Robert Hulse, Head of Patent Prosecution at Fenwick & West. Over the course of his career, Bob has worked on everything from the Facebook News Feed and Like button to quantum computing patents tied to Nobel Prize–winning research. In this piece, we sit down with him to discuss what it was like helping patent some of the defining technologies of the social media era (including the Facebook Like button), his work across deeply technical fields like quantum computing and nuclear fusion, and how he sees patent law evolving in the years ahead. Link to the full editorial in the comments.

Supporting high-quality office action drafting with AI. Built for how patent teams work.

The most valuable insights about AI in patent practice aren't coming from vendors. They're coming from patent attorneys and IP leaders who are actually navigating this shift. That’s why Ankar AI just launched a community blog for patent professionals. Our first post is from Carlo Cotrone, a patent attorney with decades of experience as a law firm partner and chief IP counsel. While most conversations about AI in patent practice focus on what tools can do, Carlo argues that's only one dimension of what matters. Click the link in the comments to read Carlo's full piece.

At TECHARENA last week, I spoke about how AI is reshaping the role of patent professionals. As AI accelerates cognitive tasks, the value of original and defensible inventions will only increases. This is a pattern I’m seeing consistently in my conversations with senior patent professionals across all industries. The consequences: → Patent strategy becomes more central to enterprise value → Speed in securing protection becomes a competitive lever → IP teams move closer to the invention process Sharing a short clip from the discussion below. For those working closely with R&D and product teams, does this match what you’re seeing inside your organization? Thank you to TECHARENA for hosting such a great event, and to Bastian Hasslinger for the invitation!