Ankar Blog

In a significant decision on February 11, with implications for the patentability of artificial intelligence, the Emotional Perception AI Limited v Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, unanimously allowed an appeal by Emotional Perception AI Ltd. The Court rejected the established four-step approach from the 2006 Aerotel case and aligned the United Kingdom with the jurisprudence of the European Patent Office (EPO). The judgment requires the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) to adopt a new framework for assessing such inventions and return the application to the UKIPO for reconsideration.

In November 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued revised guidance stating that artificial intelligence (AI) systems cannot be named as inventors under current U.S. patent law, as only “natural persons” may qualify for inventorship. The new enforced guidance reinforces a human-driven inventorship standard that continues to define the boundaries of patent protection.

Two former Palantir employees hoping to use AI to transform the process for filing and managing patents have secured $20 million in investment for their London-based startup, Ankar.

Ankar, the AI platform transforming how companies and law firms capture and protect their patents, has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Atomico, with Index Ventures doubling down and Norrsken VC and Daphni participating. The company will use the funding to grow its team and expand further into the US. 

We are entering a new phase of global competition where technological leadership is increasingly synonymous with economic strength, industrial resilience, and geopolitical influence. Innovation is no longer just a corporate asset; it has become a central pillar of global strategy.

The future of intellectual property depends on tools that empower experts, not replace them. At Ankar, this belief shapes our product vision and every line of code we write. It informs how we build, how we collaborate with customers, and how we ensure AI adapts to expert workflows—not the other way around.