Artificial intelligence is transforming intellectual property (IP) practice internationally. From speeding up patent searches and drafting to enhancing trademark clearance and trade secret protection, a wide range of AI-powered tools are now available. This blog post surveys the best AI tools used by law firms for patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. We cover tools spanning free, self-service platforms to enterprise-level systems, detailing their key features, use cases, integration options, and more. This will help IP practitioners discover a clear landscape of AI solutions and how they compare.

Tools for Patent Search and Prior Art Analysis

The Lens - The Lens is an open-access platform that combines global patent data with scholarly research, offering a seamless environment for exploring innovation landscapes and intellectual property insights. Widely used by legal professionals and inventors, it supports nuanced prior art analysis through semantic and Boolean search tools that span both patents and academic publications. By connecting scientific discovery with IP filings, The Lens helps users uncover novelty, track technological trends, and inform strategic decisions. Its integrated approach makes it a valuable resource for those navigating patent search and the evolving world of innovation intelligence.

Amplified - Amplified is an AI-driven patent search platform that simplifies prior art discovery by focusing on meaning rather than just keywords. Unlike traditional tools, it uses deep learning to understand entire invention disclosures, delivering contextually relevant results, even when terminology differs. Its intuitive interface allows users to highlight key text, collaborate on findings, and instantly compare claims against existing art. With features like smart filtering and side-by-side analysis, Amplified helps attorneys and IP professionals surface critical references quickly and thoroughly (link to Amplified homepage). It’s especially valued by firms handling complex or high-volume patent portfolios.

Patnsap - PatSnap is an enterprise-level IP intelligence platform that blends AI-powered patent analytics with R&D data to give users a complete view of the innovation landscape. Designed for both legal and technical teams, it offers advanced tools for visualizing patent clusters, identifying whitespace, and evaluating competitor portfolios. Its machine learning models surface high-impact patents and reveal citation trends, enabling deeper insights into technology development and IP strategy. By connecting patent data with market signals and scientific research, PatSnap empowers firms to make smarter decisions around filing, licensing, and investment in innovation.

Patent Litigation and Portfolio Management

Cipher (Lexis) - Cipher, part of LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions, uses supervised machine learning to automatically categorize patent portfolios by technology, competitor, or market segment. This AI-driven approach goes beyond manual tagging, revealing strategic insights like innovation focus, licensing potential, and gaps in coverage. Legal and R&D teams rely on Cipher to visualize complex portfolios, benchmark against peers, and align IP strategy with business goals. Its ability to generate custom taxonomies and deliver high-level analytics makes it especially valuable for law firms and in-house counsel navigating competitive, fast-moving industries.

PatentSight - PatentSight, a LexisNexis company, offers advanced patent analytics powered by its proprietary Patent Asset Index, enabling users to assess the quality and impact of global patent portfolios. Unlike basic counting tools, it evaluates patents based on factors like technological relevance and citation strength, providing a clearer picture of innovation value. Used by IP strategists, law firms, and corporate teams, PatentSight helps uncover licensing opportunities, assess M&A targets, and benchmark R&D performance. Its visual dashboards and data-driven insights support smarter, evidence-based decisions in today’s competitive IP landscape.

Dolcera - Dolcera is a knowledge management and IP analytics platform that helps legal and innovation teams visualize complex patent landscapes and make data-informed decisions. Known for its customizable dashboards and AI-assisted taxonomy building, it enables deep analysis of competitive portfolios, whitespace opportunities, and technology trends. By combining patents, scientific literature, and market data, Dolcera supports strategic IP planning across industries. Its intuitive interface and collaborative features make it especially useful for law firms and corporate IP teams conducting freedom-to-operate studies, portfolio audits, or technology scouting at scale.

Trademark Practice

TrademarkNow - TrademarkNow, part of the Corsearch platform, leverages AI to streamline trademark clearance by analyzing phonetic, linguistic, and visual similarities across global databases. Its intelligent algorithms assess risk based on real-world decisions, helping attorneys quickly identify potential conflicts and prioritize filings. What sets it apart is its ability to deliver instant, ranked results with contextual insights, ideal for fast-paced branding or product launch cycles. Frequently used by law firms and in-house legal teams, TrademarkNow reduces manual review time and enhances accuracy in early-stage trademark screening and strategy.

Trademark Vision - TrademarkVision, now part of Clarivate, uses AI-powered image recognition to enhance visual trademark search, identifying similar logos and designs without relying solely on manual Vienna code classification. Its deep learning algorithms analyze shapes, patterns, and styles to surface visually relevant results across global trademark databases. This makes it especially valuable for attorneys and brand teams conducting clearance for logos or design marks. Integrated into CompuMark and used by IP offices like the USPTO, TrademarkVision significantly improves both speed and accuracy in trademark image analysis.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is reshaping intellectual property practice, empowering professionals to work faster, smarter, and more strategically. From open-access patent tools like The Lens to enterprise solutions such as PatSnap and Cipher, AI enables seamless prior art discovery, portfolio analytics, and litigation insights. Meanwhile, platforms like TrademarkNow and TrademarkVision are redefining trademark clearance through language and image recognition. Collectively, these tools showcase how AI bridges research, law, and innovation, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and global collaboration. For IP practitioners, embracing AI is no longer optional—it’s essential for staying competitive in an increasingly data-driven legal landscape.