Toronto-based Clerq, formerly NLPatent, now delivers a full patentability analysis with citations in about 10 minutes, according to SiliconANGLE and Implicator.ai. The company rebranded on August 18, shifting from patent research tools to an agentic AI platform that automates work traditionally handled by teams of attorneys.

Co-founder and CEO Stephanie Curcio, a patent lawyer, described the shift as a move toward “service as software.” Clerq counts roughly 100 client organizations, including law firm Gowling WLG and in-house corporate patent teams, per BetaKit. The platform’s AI triage assessment targets a specific bottleneck: patent offices and law firms face mounting application backlogs as generative AI multiplies invention disclosures.

The volume behind that bottleneck is measurable. The World Intellectual Property Organization logged more than 56,000 new patent families tied to generative AI in 2024 and 2025 combined, exceeding the entire prior decade’s output. Clerq’s engine, originally built for plain-text patent search, now runs agentic workflows that act on a user’s behalf without manual intervention, per Cryptonomist.

Clerq closed a $3 million all-equity round led by Draper Associates and Mighty Capital, announced in November 2025, SiliconANGLE reports. The company has about 25 employees.

Filings Are Falling, Backlogs Are Not

Canadian patent filings fell 1% year over year in 2024; U.S. filings dropped 9% that year. Curcio acknowledged the Canadian flatness but said office backlogs, not application volume, are the binding constraint. “When you have that backlog, it discourages innovation at your company,” she said, adding that inventors can wait months for feedback.

AI-generated disclosures have added to the load: documents that once ran three to four pages now stretch to 20 or 30 pages, according to Curcio.

Sources

  • BetaKit: rebrand announcement, agentic AI capabilities, client list (Gowling WLG), employee count, Curcio background
  • SiliconANGLE: patentability analysis turnaround (10 minutes), co-founder James Stonehill, $3 million funding round details (Draper Associates, Mighty Capital, November close)
  • Cryptonomist: agentic workflow description, service-as-software model language
  • Implicator.ai: patentability analysis capability confirmation, attorney review requirement

Reporting compiled and contextualised by TechScoop Canada. Figures reconciled across the sources above.

Originally reported by Betakit.