The IPKat
The IPKat is a non-commercial intellectual property law blog founded in 2003, operated by volunteer IP attorneys and academics, publishing expert commentary on UK and European copyright, patent, trademark, and design law to a global audience of IP professionals and students.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The IPKat does
The IPKat is an independent, non-commercial intellectual property law blog founded in June 2003 by Jeremy Phillips (now Blogmeister Emeritus), covering copyright, patent, trade mark, designs, info-tech, and confidentiality issues from a primarily UK and European perspective. The platform operates on Google's Blogger hosting service (ipkitten.blogspot.com) and has accumulated over 15,000 posts, 118+ million cumulative page views, 16,400+ email subscribers, and 22.4K X/Twitter followers. Editorial operations are led by three PermaKats — Eleonora Rosati (Full Professor of IP Law at Stockholm University and Of Counsel at Bird&Bird), Annsley Merelle Ward (IP litigation partner at WilmerHale), and the collective pseudonym Merpel — supported by five GuestKats, three SpecialKats, and three InternKats drawn from leading IP law firms, universities, and patent practices across the UK, EU, Australia, Germany, and the US.
The product surface consists of the main chronological blog, email newsletter subscription, RSS/Atom feeds, topic-based archives (Posts per Topics covering 40+ IP sub-domains including AI, Blockchain, and NFTs), author-specific article listings (Kats' Posts), and a recurring weekly recap series called 'Never Too Late' authored by InternKats. Supporting sub-products include promotional partnerships with the Academy of European Law (ERA) and Maastricht University for the European Patent Litigation Certificate, and with WIPO-UK Summer School, offering IPKat readers favorable registration conditions for IP-related educational programs.
The business model is non-commercial: the IPKat generates no revenue from subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships, or paywalls, and is operated by volunteer contributors. Distribution is entirely organic through the blog website, email opt-in subscription, LinkedIn and X/Twitter social channels, and earned media mentions in publications such as the New York Times and Legal Business, plus institutional validation through inclusion in the US Library of Congress historic collections and designation as recommended reading for European Patent Office Qualifying Examination candidates.
The IPKat firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The IPKat
- Legal name
- The IPKat
- Website
- https://ipkitten.blogspot.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The IPKat is a non-commercial intellectual property law blog founded in 2003, operated by volunteer IP attorneys and academics, publishing expert commentary on UK and European copyright, patent, trademark, and design law to a global audience of IP professionals and students.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The IPKat industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Media
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IP & Patent Information Publishing (Patent/Litigation Analytics, Prior Art) (MPAJACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF)
Keywords
The IPKat business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Non-Commercial Blog: The IPKat is a non-commercial intellectual property law blog operated by a team of volunteers. The platform does not appear to generate commercial revenue from its content.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
The IPKat product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The IPKat is a long-running intellectual property law blog covering copyright, patent, trade mark, designs, info-tech, and confidentiality issues from a UK and European perspective since June 2003. It publishes daily posts by practicing IP attorneys and academics, supplemented by weekly 'Never Too Late' recap posts, an email newsletter subscription, and topic-based archives. Content is freely accessible to readers worldwide without registration or payment.
Product overview
The IPKat is a single-platform blog offering intellectual property news and commentary from a UK and European perspective. The core product is the main blog (The IPKat Blog) which publishes articles on copyright, patents, trademarks, designs, info-tech, and confidentiality issues. Supporting features include email newsletter subscription for over 16,400 readers, topic-based archives (Posts per Topics), author-specific article listings (Kats' Posts), and the weekly Never Too Late recap series. The blog also promotes educational partnerships including WIPO-UK Summer School programs and the European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC) offered through the Academy of European Law and Maastricht University, with exclusive discounts available to IPKat readers. The site is built on Google's Blogger platform and provides social media integration for content sharing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The IPKat Blog
- Email Newsletter Subscription
Companies that use The IPKat
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The IPKat technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The IPKat partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Academy of European Law (ERA)minorThe IPKat has a relationship with the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier, securing favorable registration conditions for IPKat readers for ERA events and courses. ERA organizes IP-related events and the IPKat promotes these to its readership.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The IPKat competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- IPilogue: Canadian IP law blog hosted by the IP Osgoode program at York University. Comparable as a regional IP law blog with similar format and audience, though focused on Canadian IP developments rather than UK/European.
Broad incumbents
- Lexology: The world's largest legal content platform aggregating law firm insights and analysis across practice areas including IP. Comparable to The IPKat as a destination for IP legal content but operating at much broader scale across all practice areas.
- IAM (Intellectual Asset Management): A major IP industry publication covering patent strategy, IP value creation, and licensing. Comparable to The IPKat in serving IP professionals but as a broader, commercial trade publication rather than a community blog.
- World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR): Global IP news and analysis publication covering patents, trademarks, and copyright. Comparable audience of IP professionals to The IPKat, with similar recognition programs (e.g., Influential Women in IP) where IPKat contributors are featured.
- Managing IP: Established IP industry publication providing news, analysis, and rankings of IP professionals and firms. Overlaps with The IPKat's coverage of IP law developments and frequently cites its contributors among influential IP figures.
Direct peers
- IP Watch (Intellectual Property Watch): IP news and analysis platform covering patent, trademark, and copyright law developments. Comparable to The IPKat as a specialist IP news publication targeting legal professionals, though with a more commercial orientation.
- Patently-O: The leading US patent law blog founded by Dennis Crouch, covering patent law analysis, scholarship, and case commentary. Closely comparable to The IPKat as a practitioner/academic-driven legal blog in the IP domain, with similar editorial approach and audience.
- Kluwer Patent Blog: Patent-focused legal blog by Kluwer Law International covering European and international patent law. Directly comparable to The IPKat as an IP law commentary platform targeting European patent professionals and attorneys.
- Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (JIPLP): Scholarly journal on IP law edited by Eleonora Rosati (a PermaKat at The IPKat). Directly comparable editorial perspective and overlap with The IPKat's commentary audience, though delivered in academic journal format.
- The 1709 Blog: A UK-based IP law blog covering copyright, trademark, and patent issues. Closely matches The IPKat's editorial format and UK/European perspective, serving a similar audience of practitioners and academics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The IPKat social profiles
Digital presenceThe IPKat financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The IPKat leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The IPKat funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The IPKat 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 The IPKat
What does The IPKat do?
The IPKat is a long-running intellectual property law blog covering copyright, patent, trade mark, designs, info-tech, and confidentiality issues from a UK and European perspective since June 2003. It publishes daily posts by practicing IP attorneys and academics, supplemented by weekly 'Never Too Late' recap posts, an email newsletter subscription, and topic-based archives. Content is freely accessible to readers worldwide without registration or payment.
Is The IPKat a public or private company?
The IPKat is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The IPKat founded?
The IPKat was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does The IPKat make money?
One revenue line is on record: non-Commercial Blog.
Who are The IPKat's main competitors?
IPilogue is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Lexology, IAM (Intellectual Asset Management), World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) and Managing IP. Direct peers are IP Watch (Intellectual Property Watch), Patently-O, Kluwer Patent Blog, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (JIPLP) and The 1709 Blog.
Does The IPKat have an API?
No public API is recorded for The IPKat.
What industry is The IPKat in?
The IPKat's product category is Legal Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJACAK, IP & Patent Information Publishing (Patent/Litigation Analytics, Prior Art), with a secondary code of BPAHAAAF, Intellectual Property (IP) Law. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2731.