Clarivate Analytics and Corsearch step up acquisition activity

Continuing the trend of M&A activity in the non-legal service provider sector, Clarivate has completed the strategic acquisition of Australian company TrademarkVision, while Corsearch has bought Yellow Brand Protection.

In October, Clarivate Analytics announced the acquisition of Australian artificial intelligence (AI) technology company TrademarkVision, which in 2013 launched what is described as “the world’s first visual search for trademarks”. CompuMark already applied TrademarkVision technology within TM go365 – its tool is designed to enable industry professionals to research trademarks and manage day-to-day portfolios. The acquisition of TrademarkVision’s AI-powered image recognition software, which applies the principles of facial recognition software to visual searching, therefore enables Compumark to fully utilise the technology and brings it in-house.

For TrademarkVision the move creates a platform to expand its trademark operations. The company’s CEO and founder Sandra Mau noted that “as part of CompuMark, TrademarkVision will be able to leverage CompuMark’s expertise in the trademark industry and vast global distribution channels to ensure our next generation of solutions reach trademark professionals around the world”.

Reflecting on the purchase, Jeff Roy, president of CompuMark, explained that it could open up new market opportunities for his company: “TrademarkVision’s AI innovation and deep relationships with patent and trademark offices and government agencies around the world, combined with CompuMark’s premier data, industry-leading expertise and global reach, will open opportunities for new products and solutions both within and outside the trademark research industry that will underpin the business’s next generation of solutions.”

Weeks later came news that Corsearch had acquired Yellow Brand Protection for an undisclosed sum – the deal resulting in new online anti-counterfeiting and brand protection services falling under the Corsearch umbrella.

Yellow Brand Protection was established in 2010 and provides online anti-counterfeiting services, its product policing over 1,000 online marketplaces and 35 social media platforms globally. Operating from offices across Europe, the United States and China, it conducts online investigations utilising its in-house developed ZERO search platform.

The official press release announcing the move stated: “The purchase of Yellow by Corsearch enables the companies to join forces and provide the industry with a full-suite and forward-looking offering of brand protection services to support the creation, establishment, growth and protection of valued IP.” Commenting further on the deal, Tobi Hartmann, CEO of Corsearch, stated: “We are thrilled to be combining these two well-established companies. Corsearch and Yellow will be even stronger together, providing our clients with a robust offering of trademark, domain and online brand protection solutions.”

The non-legal trademark services sector has seen a wave of acquisitions over the past year, as private equity-backed providers seek to bolster their offerings and expand market share (in January Corsearch announced the closure of its own sale to Audax Private Equity, resulting in a newly independent entity). These latest purchases, then, will likely be followed by further acquisition activity in the sector as competition for trademark and brand-related work heats up.