WIPS Global
WIPS Global is a South Korean IP information services company providing online patent search, AI-powered analysis, neural machine translation, and IP management SaaS to 3,000+ corporations, law firms, and inventors across Asia and the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What WIPS Global does
WIPS Co., Ltd. (operating as WIPS Global) is a South Korean intellectual property information services company founded in 1999 by Hyung-Chil Lee. It operates a subscription-based SaaS platform providing online patent search, AI-powered patent analysis, neural machine translation, and IP management tools to corporations, IP law firms, trademark practitioners, and individual inventors. The company claims the position of first online worldwide patent information service in Korea and reports the #1 market share in Korean patent search for 13 consecutive years, serving more than 100,000 users across 3,000+ companies with a stated 98% contract renewal rate. WIPS Global is KIPO-designated as an authorized prior art search institute for patents, trademarks, and designs, and is reportedly the only KIPO-authorized private prior art search institute in Korea; it holds ISO 27001 and BS10012 certifications.
The product portfolio spans nine platforms: WIPS Global (core patent search), PATBRIDGE (cross-border IP filing), PRISM (AI patent analysis using five proprietary algorithms with claimed 90%+ accuracy), IPAZON (online trademark search), WIPS FEE (patent annuity payment service), WIPSCLIP (clipboard-based prior art search), INTOMARK (international trademark search), WIPSON (design search), and WINTELIPS (internal IP management). The technology stack combines proprietary semantic search (SmartAngle), data visualization (SmartCloud), in-house neural machine translation, and Citation Analysis modules layered on 25+ years of accumulated patent and trademark data. The business model is enterprise SaaS subscriptions complemented by fee-based prior art search services for KIPO examiners and corporate IP teams. WIPS Global maintains offices in Seoul (HQ), Daejeon, Singapore, and the United States, with active markets in Korea, Japan, China, the US, and the Philippines; it is privately held with no disclosed parent entity.
WIPS Global firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WIPS Global
- Legal name
- WIPS Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://global.wipscorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- WIPS Global is a South Korean IP information services company providing online patent search, AI-powered analysis, neural machine translation, and IP management SaaS to 3,000+ corporations, law firms, and inventors across Asia and the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WIPS Global industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Patent Intelligence Software
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IP Due Diligence & Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis (BPAHAMAG), NLP for Compliance, eDiscovery & Contract Analytics (HDAAADAJ)
Keywords
Where WIPS Global is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
WIPS Global business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Online Patent Search Database Subscription: Subscription-based online patent search and analysis services including WIPS Global, PATBRIDGE, and other database products. Provides access to global patent databases, search tools, and AI-powered analysis features.
- IP Consulting Services: Customized IP consulting services including IP analysis, R&D strategy, technology commercialization, technology transfer, and technology evaluation.
- File Wrapper Service: Fee-based service providing patent file histories and examination documents from multiple countries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | — | Quote-based / Not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
WIPS Global product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WIPS Global is an AI-powered patent search and analysis platform that provides global patent database access, neural machine translation for CN/JP/KR documents, AI-driven classification, citation and claim analysis, and specialized tools for invalidation, freedom-to-operate, and chemical compound search. The company also offers KIPO-designated IP search services, IP consulting (R&D strategy, technology evaluation, commercialization), and file wrapper/prosecution history services across 50+ countries.
Product overview
WIPS Global is a comprehensive intellectual property service company offering a portfolio of patent search, analysis, and management solutions. The core platform is WIPS Global, an AI-powered patent search and analysis platform featuring advanced search capabilities (Field Search, Number Search, Step Search, AI Search), visualization tools (SmartAngle, SmartCloud, Citation Analysis), and specialized analysis modules (Claim Analysis, NMT translation). Supporting products include PATBRIDGE for Japanese-language Korean patent search, PRISM for AI-powered patent classification, and various IP management services (IPAZON, WIPS FEE, WIPSCLIP, INTOMARK). The company also provides professional IP Search and IP Consulting services as a KIPO-designated research institution. Products are available as web-based SaaS platforms with the core WIPS Global serving as the primary interface for patent research and analysis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WIPS Global: Premium patent search and analysis solution optimized for patent work based on AI technology and high-performance search engine.
- PATBRIDGE
- PRISM
- IPAZON
- WIPSCLIP
- INTOMARK
- WIPS FEE
- WINTELIPS
- WIPSON
- WIPS Global Advanced
Products and services
- WIPS Global Premium AI-powered patent search and analysis platform optimized for patent practitioners, featuring field search, number search, AI semantic search, SmartAngle visualization, SmartCloud keyword filtering, citation analysis, claim analysis, NMT translation, and IP expert tools (Chem Sight, Invalidation Advisor, FTO Generic). Subscribed by enterprises, IP professionals, and R&D teams.
- PATBRIDGE First and only Korean patent Japanese-language search service, providing full-text machine-translated Korean patents and utility models (Application 1983+, Granted 1979+) for Japanese customers seeking to analyze Korean IP.
- PRISM AI-powered automated patent classification service using 5 specialized algorithms that learn user-defined correct answer data to generate customized patent classifiers, achieving over 90% accuracy. Offers free trial for users to train and test classification engines.
- IP Search KIPO-designated professional IP search services including prior art search, patentability search, invalidity search, infringement search, and freedom-to-operate (FTO) search, delivered by specialized experts in each technical field.
- IP Consulting Customized IP consulting services including patent map/analysis, R&D planning and strategy establishment, technology evaluation, technology commercialization and transfer, and technology roadmap development.
- File Wrapper Fee-based file wrapper service providing complete patent prosecution histories from application through registration, including office actions (OA), responses, objections, and amendments from approximately 50 countries including US, Japan, Europe, Taiwan, and China. Requested via email ([email protected]).
- IPAZON Data-driven intellectual property management service launched in 2023 for comprehensive IP portfolio management and administration.
- WIPS FEE Integrated patent annuity management service launched in 2025 for managing and tracking annual patent renewal fees.
- WIPSCLIP Patent information curation platform launched in 2021 that allows users to clip, organize, and curate patent information for research and analysis purposes.
- INTOMARK Online trademark search service for searching and analyzing trademark information.
- WIPSON Korean online patent search service launched in 1999 — the first online worldwide patent information search service in South Korea — for Korean users seeking to access Korean patent data.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% contract renewal rate for online services
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WIPS Global
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WIPS Global technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature11 records
WIPS Global partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Deloitte Anjin Accounting Corp.minorSigned MOU with Deloitte Anjin Accounting Corp. for collaboration in professional services.
- Korea Valuation AssociationminorSigned MOU with Korea Valuation Association for collaboration on IP valuation and assessment services.
- Philippine Patent OfficecoreSigned partnership agreement with Philippine Patent Office for patent search services, marking international recognition of WIPS capabilities.
- Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL)coreSigned MOU with IPOPHL for patent search services cooperation. Also established partnership with Philippine Patent Office in 2013 for patent search services.
- Korea Database AgentcoreDesignated as authorized patent information database provider by Korea Database Agent, recognizing WIPS as qualified DB provider.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)coreLaunched ASPI (Advanced Scientific and Technical Information) Program partnership organized by WIPO. WIPS became the only Asian developing country partner for patent information service provision.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WIPS Global competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PatSnap: AI-powered patent search and intelligence platform serving R&D and IP teams globally. Competes directly with WIPS in AI-augmented patent analytics and targets similar enterprise customers with subscription SaaS.
- Questel: Global IP services provider offering Orbit Intelligence patent search and analytics, plus translation and consulting. Directly comparable product suite to WIPS Global and overlapping enterprise IP customers worldwide.
- Patentics: AI-driven patent search platform with strong Chinese language coverage. Comparable to WIPS in semantic/AI patent retrieval technology and overlapping customer base among Asian patent practitioners.
- Anaqua: IP management and analytics software platform serving corporate IP departments. Comparable to WIPS's IPAZON portfolio management offering and overlapping enterprise customers for IP administration.
Broad incumbents
- Clarivate: Global IP and innovation services giant operating Derwent, CPA Global, and MarkMonitor. Dominant incumbent in patent data and analytics with broader portfolio than WIPS but less focus on Korean-language IP.
- LexisNexis PatentSight: Enterprise patent analytics platform owned by LexisNexis. Competes with WIPS in patent valuation and strategic analysis for large corporate IP and R&D teams, with stronger European and US presence.
- RWS Group: Patent translation and IP services provider (formerly including SDL and INW). Comparable to WIPS's NMT and translation capabilities for CN/JP/KR patents plus broader global language coverage.
Emerging players
- IPlytics: Patent analytics platform focused on SEP and technology trend analysis. Comparable to WIPS's analysis tools (SmartAngle, SmartCloud) but with stronger focus on standards-essential patents.
- Aistemos: IP analytics and strategy platform using AI for patent classification and competitive intelligence. Comparable to WIPS PRISM's AI classification capabilities and overlapping customer profile among IP strategists.
Others
- Google Patents: Free global patent search engine. Not a direct subscription competitor but a baseline tool against which WIPS must justify its premium pricing through deeper analytics and Korean-language coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WIPS Global social profiles
Digital presenceWIPS Global compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
WIPS Global financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WIPS Global leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WIPS Global subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
WIPS Global funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WIPS Global M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WIPS Global
What does WIPS Global do?
WIPS Global is an AI-powered patent search and analysis platform that provides global patent database access, neural machine translation for CN/JP/KR documents, AI-driven classification, citation and claim analysis, and specialized tools for invalidation, freedom-to-operate, and chemical compound search. The company also offers KIPO-designated IP search services, IP consulting (R&D strategy, technology evaluation, commercialization), and file wrapper/prosecution history services across 50+ countries.
Is WIPS Global a public or private company?
WIPS Global is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was WIPS Global founded?
WIPS Global was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is WIPS Global based?
WIPS Global is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does WIPS Global make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Online Patent Search Database Subscription is the primary driver. The others are IP Consulting Services and file Wrapper Service.
Who are WIPS Global's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PatSnap, Questel, Patentics and Anaqua. Broad incumbents are Clarivate, LexisNexis PatentSight and RWS Group. Emerging players are IPlytics and Aistemos. Google Patents is listed as an others.
Does WIPS Global have an API?
No public API is recorded for WIPS Global.
What industry is WIPS Global in?
WIPS Global's product category is Patent Intelligence Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAMAI, IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence, with a secondary code of BPAHAMAG, IP Due Diligence & Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis. Its NAICS code is 51929.