IGE IPI

Government Intellectual Property Registry and Administrationige.ch

Company typePrivate
Founded1996
HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
Headcount251–500
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

IGE IPI firmographics

Firmographics

Name: IGE IPI
Legal name: Eidgenössisches Institut für Geistiges Eigentum
Website: https://ige.ch
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1996
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 251–500 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

IGE IPI industry classification

Industry

Product category: Government Intellectual Property Registry and Administration
NAICS: Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
akta.pro primary industry: IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration (BPAHAMAJ)
akta.pro secondary industries: IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC), IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement (BPAHAMAK)

Keywords

Intellectual property registration
Trademark registration services
Patent search services
IP rights administration
Swiss federal IP office

Where IGE IPI is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Bern
HQ country: Switzerland
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

IGE IPI business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

IP Registration Fees: Fees collected for registering patents, trademarks, designs, and other intellectual property rights in Switzerland
Search Services Revenue: Revenue from ip-search commercial services providing patent and trademark searches
IP Academy Training: Revenue from workshops, courses, and training programs on intellectual property protection and utilization

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Patent registration fees
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Trademark registration fees
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Design registration fees
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	IP Academy courses

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

IGE IPI product offering

Product offering

Core offering

IGE IPI is Switzerland's federal competence center that registers and administers intellectual property rights including trademarks, patents, designs, copyright, indications of source, and semiconductor topographies. It provides professional patent search services via ip-search (using AI tools such as IPRally, Octimine, Origin, and Ambercite AI), operates the official Swissreg public registry, and delivers IP education through its IP Academy workshops and training courses. These services are available to individuals, SMEs, enterprises, and IP professionals through online platforms and its Bern headquarters.

Product overview

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IGE IPI) is Switzerland's federal competency center for intellectual property, operating as a government institute rather than a commercial product company. Its core offerings consist of registration and administration services for four main IP rights: trademarks, patents, designs, and copyright. These are supported by complementary services including ip-search for professional patent searches, the IP Academy for training and education, and Swissreg as the public-facing registry database. Additional offerings encompass online service portals (e-trademark, general Online Services), a Candidate Support Programme for aspiring patent attorneys, and support for geographical indications and topographies. The institute also publishes the sic! online journal and provides guidance through a Guide for Innovative and Creative Minds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

ip-search: Patent search services offered by IGE for business success
IP Academy
Swissreg
e-trademark

Products and services

Trademarks (Marken) Official registration and management of trademarks for names, logos, and other distinctive signs in Switzerland, with international extension via the Madrid System. Service is for individuals and businesses seeking to protect their brand identifiers.
Patents (Patente) Official registration, examination, and administration of patents for inventions in Switzerland, including national applications and international PCT filings. Service is for inventors, research institutions, and companies developing new technologies.
Designs (Design) Official registration and protection of designs for the visual appearance of products, covering Swiss, EU, and international registration routes. Service is for designers, manufacturers, and companies seeking to protect product aesthetics.
Copyright (Urheberrecht) Guidance, information, and collective management organization oversight for copyright protection of creative works. Service is for authors, artists, publishers, and creators of original works.
Indications of Source / Geographical Indications Official protection for geographical indications and indications of source, including Swissness certification for products of Swiss origin. Service is for producers, agricultural groups, and manufacturers seeking to protect regional product names.
Topographies Official protection for semiconductor topographies and integrated circuit layouts. Service is for semiconductor manufacturers and integrated circuit designers.
ip-search Professional Patent Search Service Commercial professional service offering worldwide patent searches with AI-assisted analysis (using tools including IPRally, Octimine, Origin, and Ambercite AI) for feature searching and document analysis. Service is for inventors, IP professionals, R&D teams, and corporate IP departments supporting business and IP strategy decisions.
IP Academy Training Programs Educational platform offering workshops, courses, and training programs on intellectual property protection and utilization, including basic knowledge courses, specific topical courses, and advanced courses. Service is for individuals, IP professionals, attorneys, and companies seeking structured IP education.
Swissreg Public Registry Official public registry database providing publicly accessible information on protected IP titles and applications in Switzerland. Service is for the public, legal professionals, IP professionals, and businesses requiring transparency on Swiss IP rights.
e-trademark Online Filing Service Online platform for electronic trademark registration, filing, and management via the IGE submission client. Service is for trademark applicants and brand owners seeking digital trademark protection workflows.
Online Services Portal Secure digital portal for managing protection titles and IP applications online. Service is for applicants and IP holders needing ongoing digital administration of their IP portfolios.
Candidate Support Programme Support program for aspiring European patent attorneys, providing structured preparation, examination guidance, and resources during their qualification process. Service is for individuals preparing to sit the European patent attorney qualification examinations.

Companies that use IGE IPI

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

IGE IPI technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

IGE IPI partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

WIPOcoreTechnology or IntegrationWorld Intellectual Property Organization - IGE collaborates on international IP registrations including Madrid System for trademarks and PCT for patents, as well as WIPO Global Awards 2026
EPOcoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean Patent Office - collaboration on European patent matters and the unitary patent protection system
EUIPOcoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean Union Intellectual Property Office - collaboration on EU trademark and design registrations accessible through Swiss applicants
Swiss Development Cooperation ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment cooperation projects in South Africa Phase 2, Morocco, Moldova, Peru Phase 2, Tunisia, and Global Program for Intellectual Property - supporting IP capacity building in developing countries
HelblingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize provider for Swiss Startup Days Newcomers 2026 pitching competition along with IGE, Kellerhals Carrard, Venture Mind, and VISARTIS Healthcare
Kellerhals CarrardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize provider for Swiss Startup Days Newcomers 2026 pitching competition
Venture MindminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize provider for Swiss Startup Days Newcomers 2026 pitching competition
VISARTIS HealthcareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrize provider for Swiss Startup Days Newcomers 2026 pitching competition

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

IGE IPI competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO): EUIPO is the EU agency responsible for EU trademarks and registered designs, and a direct partner of IGE for EU filings by Swiss applicants. Operates the same statutory IP office model at a supranational level.
European Patent Office (EPO): The EPO is the regional patent granting authority for Europe and a core strategic partner of IGE. Both are public IP offices administering patent rights with overlapping jurisdictional reach and shared examiner workflows.
INPI (France): Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle is the French national IP office. Mirrors IGE's mandate across patents, trademarks, designs and supplementary services such as search and education in a similar European legal tradition.
USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office): The USPTO is the U.S. national IP office granting patents and registering trademarks. Functionally equivalent to IGE in mandate, scope of services (registration, search, education), and statutory monopoly on U.S. IP rights.
UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO): UKIPO is the UK national IP office offering patents, trademarks, and designs registration, plus IP education and search. Closely analogous in operating model, scale, and the mix of statutory fees plus value-added services.
DPMA (German Patent and Trade Mark Office): Germany's federal IP office, handling patents, trademarks and designs. Comparable in scale, role as competence center, and reliance on digital platforms for registration and search, with similar registration, search, and training service mix.

Broad incumbents

Japan Patent Office (JPO): JPO is Japan's national IP office and one of the largest IP registries globally. Analogous statutory role, similar scope of registration and search services, and serves as a reference for advanced AI use in patent examination.
CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration): CNIPA is the world's largest national IP office by filing volume. Functional mirror of IGE in mandate and services, with a much larger scale and accelerated AI-driven patent examination programs.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): WIPO is the UN agency coordinating global IP systems (PCT, Madrid System, Hague). IGE collaborates with WIPO on international registrations and awards; WIPO is the supranational umbrella over national offices like IGE.

Others

Clarivate (Derwent, Compumark): Clarivate is a private IP analytics and services firm including Derwent patent data and Compumark trademark search. Adjacent commercial counterpart to IGE's ip-search service, competing for professional IP search and analytics spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

IGE IPI financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

IGE IPI leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

IGE IPI funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

IGE IPI M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about IGE IPI

What does IGE IPI do?

Is IGE IPI a public or private company?

IGE IPI is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was IGE IPI founded?

IGE IPI was founded in 1996. It employs 251 to 500 people.

Where is IGE IPI based?

IGE IPI is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.

How does IGE IPI make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. IP Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are search Services Revenue and IP Academy Training.

Who are IGE IPI's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), European Patent Office (EPO), INPI (France), USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and DPMA (German Patent and Trade Mark Office). Broad incumbents are Japan Patent Office (JPO), CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Clarivate (Derwent, Compumark) is listed as an others.

Does IGE IPI have an API?

No public API is recorded for IGE IPI.

What industry is IGE IPI in?

IGE IPI's product category is Government Intellectual Property Registry and Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAMAJ, IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration, with a secondary code of BPAHAMAI, IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence. Its NAICS code is 51929.