Patent Documentation Group
PDG is a non-profit association of 51 leading industrial R&D companies that enables patent information professionals to exchange best practices, influence patent information standards, and develop professionally through working groups, expert forums, task forces, and an annual conference.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1957
- HeadquartersBasel, Switzerland
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Patent Documentation Group does
Patent Documentation Group (PDG) is a Basel-registered, non-profit association founded in 1957 that convenes patent information professionals from industrial R&D companies to exchange best practices and to influence the development of patent information tools and standards. The organisation serves 51 named corporate members spanning life sciences (AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Lundbeck), chemicals (BASF, AkzoNobel, Clariant, Covestro, Evonik, LANXESS, Syensqo, ALTANA, dsm-firmenich), consumer goods (Unilever, P&G, Nestlé, L'Oréal, Henkel, Beiersdorf), industrial/manufacturing (Siemens, Bosch, thyssenkrupp, voestalpine, REHAU), technology (ASML, Philips, Deutsche Telekom, Signify), and other sectors. Its operational contact is in Amsterdam, Netherlands, while its official registration address is c/o Bratschi AG in Basel, Switzerland.
PDG's "products" are membership-driven community services rather than software: corporate membership grants access to Working Groups (A&V, IMPACT, R&E), seven Expert Forums (Orbit NG, Biotechnology, Chemistry, STNext, Data Science, LexisNexis PatentSight, Sustainability), Task Forces (Dig.IP, Customer Consultancy, Education & Development), the Annual Members' Conference, and a member-only Wiki and Microsoft Teams environment. Governance is exercised through the Annual Members' Conference (highest authority), an elected Board (executive authority), and the Working Group/Expert Forum leadership, with QPIP Continued Professional Development credit aligned to member activities. The organisation holds official observer status at WIPO and an official collaboration relationship with the European Patent Office and national patent offices.
PDG monetises through annual corporate membership fees of €2,500 per member, with membership granted by election through the existing member base and restricted to firms engaged in industrial research and innovation with substantial patent portfolios. It is not backed by venture capital or private equity and has no parent company; it operates a community-led go-to-market model with LinkedIn as its primary external channel. Sister-organisation ties to CEPIUG, PIUG, IPLA, and national patent information user groups across Europe extend its reach without additional commercial infrastructure.
Patent Documentation Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Patent Documentation Group
- Legal name
- Patent Documentation Group
- Website
- https://p-d-g.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1957
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PDG is a non-profit association of 51 leading industrial R&D companies that enables patent information professionals to exchange best practices, influence patent information standards, and develop professionally through working groups, expert forums, task forces, and an annual conference.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Patent Documentation Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Basel
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Patent Documentation Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Corporate Membership Fees: PDG generates revenue through annual corporate membership fees. The annual fee for corporate membership is currently €2500. Membership is the primary revenue stream supporting the association's activities including Working Groups, Expert Forums, Task Forces, and the Annual Members' Conference.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Patent Documentation Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PDG is a non-profit professional association that provides corporate members a collaborative environment to exchange best practices, share insights, and jointly influence developments in patent information. Its core offering is corporate membership (€2,500/year) that gives access to Working Groups, Expert Forums, Task Forces, the Annual Members' Conference, and member collaboration channels including the PDG Wiki and Teams.
Product overview
The Patent Documentation Group (PDG) is a non-profit association, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of organizational membership services: PDG Corporate Membership provides access to working groups (A&V, IMPACT, R&E), expert forums (Orbit NG, Biotechnology, Chemistry, STNext, Data Science, LexisNexis PatentSight, Sustainability), task forces (Dig.IP, Customer Consultancy, Education & Development), and the Annual Members' Conference. Members gain access to PDG Wiki and Teams channels. The PDG does not offer standalone software products or modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PDG Corporate Membership Annual corporate membership program (€2,500/year) for companies engaged in industrial research with in-house patent information professionals; granted by election through existing member companies and provides access to Working Groups, Expert Forums, Task Forces, the Annual Members' Conference, PDG Wiki, and Teams channels.
- PDG Working Groups
- PDG Expert Forums
- PDG Task Forces
- PDG Annual Members' Conference
Companies that use Patent Documentation Group
Customer profileNamed customers48 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Patent Documentation Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Patent Documentation Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- EPO (European Patent Office)corePDG maintains strong collaboration with the European Patent Office (EPO) and national patent offices. Working groups engage with patent offices to exchange views and advocate member interests.
- WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)corePDG holds official observer status at WIPO, enabling participation in international intellectual property policy discussions and influencing global patent information standards.
- CEPIUG (Central European Patent Information User Group)majorPDG actively engages with CEPIUG as part of its network of sister organisations and collaborates on shared interests in patent information.
- PIUG (Patent Information Users Group)majorPDG maintains tight relationships with PIUG, sharing best practices and engaging in joint advocacy for patent information users.
- IPLA (Intellectual Property Libraries Association)majorPDG actively engages with IPLA forming tight relationships with this sister organisation for collaborative knowledge sharing.
- QPIP (Qualified Patent Information Professional)corePDG activities are eligible for QPIP Continued Professional Development points, enabling members to maintain professional credentials through PDG engagement.
- QPIPmajorSister organisation listed on PDG website as one of the related patent information user groups.
- P-D-RmajorSister organisation - Patent Documentation Ring network member.
- AIDB (Italy)minorNational patent information user group - Italy.
- BEPIUG (Belgium)minorNational patent information user group - Belgium.
- BPIP (Great Britain)minorNational patent information user group - Great Britain.
- CFIB (France)minorNational patent information user group - France and French speaking parts of Belgium and Switzerland.
- PIF (Denmark)minorNational patent information user group - Denmark.
- PING (Germany)minorNational patent information user group - German-speaking patent information user group.
- SIPIG (Sweden)minorNational patent information user group - Sweden.
- SPIP (Spain)minorNational patent information user group - Spain.
- WON (Netherlands)minorNational patent information user group - Netherlands.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Patent Documentation Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Patent Documentation Group social profiles
Digital presencePatent Documentation Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Patent Documentation Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Patent Documentation Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Patent Documentation Group 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 Patent Documentation Group
What does Patent Documentation Group do?
PDG is a non-profit professional association that provides corporate members a collaborative environment to exchange best practices, share insights, and jointly influence developments in patent information. Its core offering is corporate membership (€2,500/year) that gives access to Working Groups, Expert Forums, Task Forces, the Annual Members' Conference, and member collaboration channels including the PDG Wiki and Teams.
Is Patent Documentation Group a public or private company?
Patent Documentation Group is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Patent Documentation Group founded?
Patent Documentation Group was founded in 1957. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Patent Documentation Group based?
Patent Documentation Group is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Patent Documentation Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: corporate Membership Fees.
Does Patent Documentation Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Patent Documentation Group.