The New Realities of Renewals: How Rising Costs, AI and Increased Risk is Impacting IP Portfolios Decisions
IP Portfolio Management | AI
May 4, 2026
A conversation with Aileen Buchanan, Senior Vice President of IP Services at Anaqua
Managing IP renewals has always been complex. Today, however, it has become one of the most strategic aspects of global IP portfolio management. Rising costs across patent offices, increased budget scrutiny, and the emergence of AI-driven decision-making are changing how IP teams evaluate, prioritize, and protect their IP assets and portfolios.
Aileen Buchanan, Anaqua's Senior Vice President of IP Services, leads the global services organization that supports clients with renewals, foreign filings, brand protection, and legal support services. In this conversation, she shares why renewals matter more than ever to clients and explains how Anaqua continues to strengthen its IP services and evolve with clients changing needs.
Why is managing renewals still mission-critical for IP teams today?
Aileen: For clients with global portfolios, renewals have always been a challenging and mission critical area. What has changed is the environment in which those decisions are being made. We’re seeing increasing cost pressure across the major patent offices, alongside a broader shift in how clients think about portfolio value - particularly with AI now playing a role in decision making.
Fees are rising across jurisdictions. The UK IPO has increased fees by around 25%, the EPO implemented further fee rises last year, and the USPTO increased fees by approximately 7-8%. As a result, clients are no longer maintaining portfolios blindly. The focus has shifted from quantity to quality - retaining assets that are truly critical to the business.
What are the biggest pressures IP teams face when managing renewals at scale?
Aileen: Cost is certainly one of the biggest pressures. But it’s closely tied to the need to make better, more informed decisions. Clients are very mindful about which assets they renew and why. Maintaining portfolio quality has become a central strategy.
To do that well, teams need insight - not just data, but the ability to make renewal decisions in context. Without integrated decision-making tools and visibility across the portfolio, clients risk over-renewing, which can drive up unnecessary costs, or under-renewing, which results in the loss of important protection. Maintaining that balance is more important than ever.
What do clients say they need most from a renewal partner today?
Aileen: Clients are looking for confidence and clarity. Transparency around costs, strong risk management, and insight into how renewal decisions are made are all essential. Transparency is in our DNA, which gives our clients confidence that we are offering them competitive fees.
Clients also want to know that there's a dedicated, expert team behind the service; people they can work with day-to-day who understand the broader context of their portfolio.
Automation and AI matter as well. Clients expect service providers to be investing in these technologies to improve efficiency and scale. But always with the right level of human oversight. Accuracy, accountability, and trust remain critical, particularly when renewals are involved.
Curious what clients say about partnering with Anaqua? Learn more here: Client Reviews - Anaqua IP Management Software and Services
Where do IP teams struggle most when renewals are handled through fragmented tools or providers?
Aileen: Fragmentation makes it much harder to manage risk and cost effectively. When renewals sit separately from portfolio management systems and decision-making tools, teams lose visibility and control. An integrated approach allows clients to see the full picture – to make renewal decisions in the context of their broader IP strategy rather than in isolation. Especially at scale, connectivity becomes vital.
As IP teams face rising renewal costs and increasing pressure to make more intentional portfolio decisions, integration across data, analytics and execution becomes critical. At Anaqua, this philosophy underpins not only our renewal services, but how we connect portfolio insight directly to action.
Have expectations changed regarding transparency and responsiveness and risk management?
Aileen: Absolutely. Expectations around transparency, particularly when it comes to cost structures and processes, are at an all-time high. Clients also expect faster response times, but not at the expense of accuracy or risk mitigation.
There’s a strong expectation that service providers are using automation and AI to improve efficiency, while still maintaining strong human oversight. The combination of speed, insight, and reliability is what clients are really looking for.
What makes Anaqua’s approach to renewals different?
Aileen: We take an end-to-end view of the client experience. Renewals aren’t treated as a standalone service; they’re part of a broader ecosystem that includes portfolio management, decision-making tools, and client engagement.
Although automation and AI are important, they are only part of the equation. Our global agent network includes over 900 agents worldwide. Our agent network is a critical part of how we mitigate risk and operate effectively across jurisdictions. Many of these relationships go back 30 years. Local expertise and continuity can’t be replaced by technology alone. The combination of smart tools and deep human experience is what makes the difference.
How do you see Anaquas IP Services business evolving?
Aileen: The focus is on continuing to strengthen our seamless, comprehensive service model that continues to scale while remaining deeply client-centric. As Anaqua grows, it becomes even more important that everything we do, across services, platforms and engagement, is guided by client needs.
We’re constantly asking: How does this solve a real client problem? Whether it’s service delivery, platform capabilities or how we engage day-to-day, improving the client experience remains at the heart of our strategy.
What should IP leaders be asking when evaluating a services partner?
Aileen: They should be asking these practical questions:
- How transparent is the partner?
- How well do they manage and mitigate risk?
- How integrated are their services?
- How invested are they in automation and AI?
- Who will I actually be working with day-to-day?
Strong partnerships are built on trust, visibility, and consistency.
What excites you most about INTA this year?
Aileen: INTA is intense, in the best possible way. For me, what stands out most are the focused, meaningful in-person conversations - particularly with our global agent network. These longstanding relationships are the backbone of our services and essential to how we operate worldwide. INTA gives us the opportunity to step back and really talk about what’s working, what’s changing, and what we need to achieve together in the year ahead.
This year feels especially meaningful as Anaqua continues to evolve in so many exciting ways. With recent changes across the business, including new leadership and acquisitions, expanded capabilities in brand protection and services, and new AI-driven innovation, INTA is a chance to show, not just tell, what we’re building and why it matters.
It’s also about reconnecting with clients, with peers across the IP community, and with colleagues who are experiencing INTA for the first time. Those conversations, often behind closed doors, are where some of the most impactful insights emerge, particularly around how IP is managed globally and the real-world challenges teams face.
If I could leave IP teams with one message heading into INTA it would be this:
Aileen: Anaqua is evolving quickly, but our priorities haven’t changed, which I’m proud of. We're focused on building smarter, more connected services that help clients manage risk, control, costs and make better decisions -all while keeping the client experience front and center.
Want to learn more?
Read this blog on how Anaqua brings together portfolio access, AI‑driven analytics and integrated platforms to support smarter patent annuities and trademark renewal decisions: Anaqua’s integrated approach to patent annuities and trademark renewals.
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