EP&C

What EP&C does

EP&C (legal entity Exter Polak & Charlouis B.V.) is a Dutch partnership of patent attorneys (octrooigemachtigden) founded in 1939 and headquartered in Rijswijk, the Netherlands. The firm provides end-to-end intellectual property protection services — patent filing and prosecution (including a proprietary NL-PCT Route methodology), prior-art and freedom-to-operate searches, design protection, patent monitoring, rights enforcement, infringement defence, and portfolio management — delivered by more than 35 patent attorneys, many holding PhDs in life sciences, chemistry or engineering, supported by a total headcount of 51–100 staff across six offices (Rijswijk, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Sittard, Wageningen campus, and Turnhout, Belgium). Its primary technology asset is the accumulated expertise, methodology and scientific bench required to translate complex inventions into defensible claims across nine industry verticals: horticulture, packaging, polymers, energy, health, medtech, offshore, food, and biotech.

The firm serves a heterogeneous client base of more than 1,000 customers ranging from university spin-offs and accelerator-stage startups (e.g., Time Travelling Milkman, Rival Foods, Somnox, Caelus Health, Pedal Plate) to established multinationals and research institutions (e.g., Huisman, Quooker, Rousselot, UMC Utrecht, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, University of Twente), managing more than 14,000 active IP rights as of 2024. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees on a quote-based, multi-year engagement model, with cost determined by innovation complexity, prior-art distance, and number of protected variants; the firm layers in tax-incentive advisory (WBSO, innovation box) within its food and biotech engagements. Customer acquisition combines direct enterprise and mid-market field sales with a content-led funnel (knowledge centre, SEO, newsletter, webinars) and accelerator/university channel partnerships (StartLife, StartHub Wageningen, Limburg Startup) that deliver early-stage prospects.

Name

EP&C

Legal name

Exter Polak & Charlouis B.V.

Website

https://epc.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EP&C is a Dutch partnership of patent attorneys that provides patent filing, prosecution, search, design protection, monitoring, enforcement and portfolio management to more than 1,000 clients across nine industry verticals in the Netherlands and Belgium, serving startups, mid-market firms, multinationals and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property / Patent Attorney Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration (BPAHAMAJ)

Keywords

• Patent attorney services
• Intellectual property protection
• Patent filing prosecution
• Design protection
• Patent portfolio management

Headquarters

HQ city

Rijswijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional IP Services: EP&C provides professional intellectual property services including patent filing, patent search, design protection, IP enforcement, infringement accusation, patent monitoring, and portfolio management. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for advisory, filing, prosecution, and ongoing management of IP rights. The firm also offers strategic IP consulting aligned with business objectives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EP&C is a Dutch patent attorney firm that files and prosecutes patents, registers designs, conducts patent searches and freedom-to-operate analyses, monitors portfolios, enforces IP rights against infringers, and defends clients against infringement accusations. The firm serves clients across nine industry verticals (biotech, food, medtech, horticulture, energy, packaging, polymers, offshore, healthcare) and manages more than 14,000 active IP rights through 35+ patent attorneys across six offices in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Product overview

EP&C is a unified patent attorney service offering a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property protection services. The core offerings include patent filing (Octrooi aanvragen), patent research (Octrooionderzoek), design protection (Modelbescherming), rights enforcement (Handhaven van rechten), infringement defense (Beschuldiging van inbreuk), patent monitoring (Octrooibewaking), and portfolio management (Portfoliomanagement). These services are delivered across specialized industry sectors including biotech, food, horticulture, medtech, energy, packaging, polymers, offshore, and health. The firm employs 35+ patent attorneys and manages 14,000+ active IP rights. The NL-PCT Route represents their strategic methodology for international patent protection combining Dutch priority filing with PCT international follow-up applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Octrooi aanvragen (Patent Application) Strategic patent filing service that protects innovations including new products, processes, and software solutions. The service covers determining the patent route, creating future-proof applications, and expanding protection internationally via the NL-PCT route.
• Octrooionderzoek (Patent Search) Patent database searching service that provides insights into competitor focus areas and identifies smart technical solutions for innovation challenges, including prior art and novelty assessments.
• Modelbescherming (Design Protection) Protection service for unique designs, safeguarding the visual appearance and aesthetic aspects of products.
• Handhaven van rechten (Enforcement of Rights) Legal service for addressing copycats and enforcing intellectual property rights against infringers.
• Beschuldiging van inbreuk (Infringement Accusation Defense) Defense service for companies accused of patent or intellectual property infringement.
• Octrooibewaking (Patent Monitoring) Ongoing monitoring service to track patent activity, competitor filings, and potential threats to existing patent portfolios.
• Portfoliomanagement (Portfolio Management) Strategic management of patent portfolios ensuring optimal protection, valuation, and alignment with business objectives.
• NL-PCT Route Patent Protection Methodology A strategic patent protection route combining Dutch priority patent application with PCT international follow-up, providing 2.5 years of decision-making time for international patent protection.
• Industry-Specific IP Services Specialized IP services for industries including Horticulture, Packaging, Polymers, Energy, Health/Healthcare, Medtech, Offshore, Food, and Biotech sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000 active IP rights managed for clients (2024)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StartLifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartLife is Europe's top agrifoodtech startup accelerator, co-founded by Wageningen University & Research in 2010. EP&C is a program partner, providing weekly on-campus presence (Wednesdays 09:00-12:00 at the StartLife partner room) and assisting early-stage technology startups with patent protection. EP&C has assisted with patent applications, Freedom To Operate studies, and other IP services for StartLife entrepreneurs in recent years.
• StartHub WageningencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartHub Wageningen is the startup incubator and educator for students, PhDs, and recent graduates of Wageningen University & Research, focusing on developing entrepreneurial competencies. EP&C is a program partner, present every Wednesday 13:00-17:00 at the StartHub building to support student entrepreneurs with IP protection and patent strategy.
• Limburg StartupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEP&C partnered with Limburg Startup as the preferred partner for intellectual property services, supporting startups in the Limburg region with their IP strategy and patent protection needs.
• BAC (Biotech Assets Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEP&C collaborates with BAC, a biotech company, on IP strategy and patent protection for biotech innovations. The collaboration involves joint workshops and educational content on intellectual property for biotech companies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gevers: Belgian IP firm with offices in Belgium and broader Europe, providing patent prosecution, trademarks and IP strategy. Strong direct overlap with EP&C's Belgian (Turnhout) practice and shared Benelux enterprise client base.
• AOMB: Benelux-focused IP firm combining patent attorneys and trademark specialists across multiple Dutch offices. Directly comparable in scale, service mix, and client segments to EP&C.
• Arnold & Siedsma: Long-standing Dutch patent and trademark firm with offices across the Netherlands and Belgium. Directly comparable in headcount, vertical mix (mechanical, life sciences, chemistry), and target customer segments (startups to multinationals).
• De Vries & Metman: Dutch patent and trademark attorney firm with similar full-service IP offering and comparable positioning to mid-sized Dutch enterprises. Direct competitor for SME and startup patent work in the Netherlands.
• V.O. Patents & Trademarks: Major European patent and trademark firm headquartered near The Hague with deep Dutch and Belgian roots. Competes in the same patent prosecution, FTO, and portfolio-management services that form EP&C's core offering.
• NLO (Netherlands Octrooibureau): Largest Dutch patent attorney firm with similar full-service IP offering, multiple NL offices, and broad vertical specialization. Direct head-to-head competitor for the same Dutch enterprise and startup clients on patent prosecution and portfolio management.

Broad incumbents

• Bird & Bird (IP Practice): International law firm with a recognized IP and life-sciences practice serving European technology companies. Overlaps with EP&C on biotech/medtech clients but competes from a much broader full-service legal platform.
• Hoffmann Eitle: One of Europe's largest IP boutiques with offices in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and beyond. Directly comparable technically (patent prosecution, opposition, FTO) but far larger and more internationally oriented than EP&C.
• Marks & Clerk: Global IP firm with a substantial Benelux presence and large patent-attorney bench. Overlaps with EP&C on Dutch and Belgian patent prosecution but operates across far more jurisdictions and serves larger multinationals at greater scale.

Emerging players

• Dennemeyer: Global IP-management and annuity/administration specialist offering software-enabled patent renewals and portfolio services. Adjacent competitor in the patents-and-renewals category that EP&C covers manually through its portfolio-management service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgTq8ruR6LshhSm5FTJ3n2A
• Facebookfacebook.com/OctrooibureauEPC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ep%26c
• Xx.com/EPC_NL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about EP&C