CPA Global

What CPA Global does

CPA Global was founded in 1969 and grew into one of the world's largest dedicated intellectual property management software and services providers, serving corporate IP teams, law firms, and patent offices. The company was acquired by Clarivate Plc in 2020 and was officially rebranded into Clarivate on October 22, 2024, with the CPA Global name retired. As of 2026, CPA Global's former CEO Simon Webster was appointed President of Clarivate's Intellectual Property segment, indicating continued leadership continuity for the franchise.

CPA Global's product portfolio spans the full IP lifecycle across software, data, and professional services. The IP management software suite included IPfolio (cloud-based for corporates), FoundationIP and Inprotech (for law firms), Memotech, Unycom, Ipendo, and Patrawin. Patent intelligence was delivered through Derwent Patent Search, Derwent Patent Analytics (formerly Innography), the Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) used by 40+ patent offices, incoPat for Chinese users, PatentScout, GENESEQ biological sequences, and Derwent Data Analyzer. Brand protection came via CompuMark (trademark search/watch), SAEGIS screening, TrademarkVision and DesignVision (computer vision), Brand Landscape Analyzer, and Trademark Watch Analyzer. Litigation intelligence was provided through Darts-ip and RiskMark. Professional services covered patent annuities, trademark renewals, IP recordals, translations, docketing, filing/prosecution support, and paralegal services, supported by 2,000+ IP service professionals.

The business model combined recurring subscription revenue from IP management and intelligence software with fee-for-service revenue from patent and trademark lifecycle services. Customers included 1,600+ corporations and law firms, with 9 of the 10 most valuable global brands using Clarivate's trademark solutions. Distribution was primarily direct enterprise sales augmented by dedicated customer portals (IPfolio cloud, IP Customer Portal), API/data feeds for developers, and the IP Collaboration Hub for local agent networks. Pre-acquisition, CPA Global pursued an aggressive roll-up strategy, completing acquisitions of Ipendo (2011), First To File (2013), Landon IP and Patrafee AB (2014), Innography (2015), Citation Eagle and Filing Analytics (2018), and Ipan GmbH (2019).

Name

CPA Global

Legal name

CPA Global Limited

Website

https://cpaglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CPA Global, now fully integrated into Clarivate's Intellectual Property segment, provided software, data, and services for managing patents, trademarks, and IP portfolios. It served 1,600+ corporates and law firms before the brand was retired in October 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration (BPAHAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA), IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), IP Due Diligence & Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis (BPAHAMAG), IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement (BPAHAMAK)

Keywords

• Intellectual property management
• Patent analytics
• Trademark protection
• Patent intelligence
• IP workflow software

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Helier

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. IP Management Software Subscriptions: Cloud-based and on-premise IP management software subscriptions for corporate IP teams and law firms, including IPfolio, FoundationIP, Inprotech, Memotech, and other platforms.
2. Patent Services: Patent annuities, trademark renewals, docketing, filing and prosecution support, translations, IP recordals, and paralegal services.
3. Patent Intelligence: Patent search, analytics, data feeds and APIs including Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI), Derwent Patent Analytics, and PatentScout.
4. Trademark Solutions: Trademark search, watch, screening and analytics services through CompuMark.
5. Litigation Intelligence: Darts-ip global IP case law data and analytics for litigation and opposition intelligence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CPA Global provides intellectual property management software and supporting services across the IP lifecycle, including patent analytics, trademark search and protection, IP workflow and docketing tools, patent filing and renewal services, and litigation intelligence. These offerings are sold to corporate IP departments, IP law firms, and patent offices globally, supported by more than 2,000 IP professionals.

Product overview

CPA Global, now part of Clarivate, provides a comprehensive intellectual property management platform and suite of solutions covering the entire IP lifecycle. The core IP management software portfolio includes IPfolio (cloud-based for corporates), FoundationIP (for law firms), Inprotech, Memotech, The IP Management System, Ipendo, Unycom, and Patrawin. These are supported by productivity solutions including Forecast (AI-powered cost forecasting), First to File (document management), IP Collaboration Hub, and Docket. The patent intelligence offerings feature Derwent Patent Search, Derwent Patent Analytics (formerly Innography), incoPat, Derwent World Patents Index, PatentScout, GENESEQ, and Derwent Data Analyzer. Brand protection solutions include CompuMark Trademark Solutions, SAEGIS, TrademarkVision, DesignVision, Brand Landscape Analyzer, and Trademark Watch Analyzer. Litigation intelligence is provided through Darts-ip and RiskMark. Patent services cover annuities, translations, recordals, docketing, and filing support. The broader Clarivate portfolio extends to life sciences intelligence (Cortellis, MetaBase, CBDD) and academic research (Web of Science, Journal Citation Reports).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IPfolio: The premier cloud-based IP management platform, tailored for corporate IP teams of all sizes.
• Innography
• CPA Global Workbench

Products and services

• Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI)

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ patent offices worldwide rely on Derwent World Patent Index for prior art examination
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability12 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ClarivatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CPA Global was acquired by Clarivate in 2020. Simon Webster, former CEO of CPA Global (2015-2021), was appointed as President of Clarivate's Intellectual Property segment in June 2026. CPA Global operates as Clarivate's IP Solutions segment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Relecura: Relecura offers AI-powered patent analytics and portfolio valuation tools, providing a more modern alternative to incumbent IP analytics offerings within enterprise IP teams.
• IPlytics: IPlytics specializes in patent analytics with a focus on standard-essential patents and technology intelligence, partially overlapping with Derwent Patent Analytics' strategic IP use cases.
• Patsnap: Patsnap is an AI-native IP analytics platform covering patents, trademarks, and R&D intelligence. It targets the same corporate IP and R&D buyers as Derwent with a modern, lower-friction analytics experience.
• Aistemos: Aistemos (Cipher) provides AI-driven IP classification, valuation, and competitive intelligence, emerging as a challenger to traditional IP analytics stacks like CPA Global's Derwent portfolio.

Direct peers

• Questel: Questel is a global IP management software and services provider offering patent annuity payments, IP portfolio management, and patent search. It directly competes with CPA Global across IP maintenance, software, and intelligence.
• Anaqua: Anaqua provides IP management software (AQUA) and analytics for corporate IP teams and law firms, directly overlapping with CPA Global's IPfolio, FoundationIP, and broader IP lifecycle offerings.
• Corsearch: Corsearch is a leader in trademark search, watching, and brand protection services, directly competing with CompuMark and SAEGIS in trademark screening and clearance workflows.
• LexisNexis IP (PatentSight): LexisNexis PatentSight provides patent analytics and IP intelligence to corporate legal and IP teams, competing directly with Derwent Patent Analytics and analytics-led IP decision workflows.

Others

• RWS Group: RWS Group is a major provider of patent translations, filing, and language services to law firms and corporates, directly overlapping with CPA Global's patent translations and filing/prosecution support services.
• Minesoft: Minesoft provides patent search, monitoring, and IP intelligence data feeds, serving as an adjacent intelligence provider in the same IP workflow that CPA Global addresses with Derwent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPAGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/clarivate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/204705
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifeatclarivate

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CPA Global