Inside why Patents and IP are one of LegalTech’s “newest battlegrounds”

October 2, 2026 / Monica Zent
VentureLegal34

LegalTech has gone prime-time.

This week, Harvey debuted its first-ever TV commercials, which will run globally across major media channels. According to Artificial Lawyer, the commercials will air on major US outlets such as ESPN, NBC, Amazon, Netflix and HBO Max.   In the spring, Legora hired actor Jude Law as the face of the brand, with the tag line, “Law just got more attractive.”

While big LegalTech players like Harvey and Legora battle for attention and market share with prime-time ads and celebrity campaigns, as we head into Q4, there continue to be market share and niche opportunities for VC-backed startups.

Back in January, in my LegalTech 2026 Trends to Watch edition of Venture Legal, I wrote that the VC-funded AI transformation of legal could be expected to continue at pace, noting that while competition continues among the big players, massive opportunities for founders and investors exist in niche focuses.

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