Houlihan Lokey Advises PatentSight GmbH

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that it has advised the shareholders of PatentSight GmbH on the sale of the company to Reed Tech, a LexisNexis® Legal & Professional company and part of RELX Group. The transaction was announced on 16 May 2018.

PatentSight evaluates worldwide patents using a scientifically developed proprietary methodology, the Patent Asset Index™. This method helps identify high-value patents from less important ones, a prerequisite for reliable patent analysis. In addition, patent portfolios of competitors, suppliers, customers, areas of technology, and new market entrants can be analysed to identify opportunities and threats. PatentSight was founded in 2008 and launched its first business intelligence software in 2012. Its platform provides unique, reliable, and relevant insights into the patent landscape for decision-makers and patent experts in the fields of benchmarking, R&D strategy, finding trends, M&A, licensing, and portfolio optimization.

Reed Tech, a LexisNexis company and part of RELX Group, is the provider of best-in-class, information-based solutions and services to meet the needs of government agencies, the intellectual property market, and the life sciences industry. Its customers are located throughout the world and include the U.S. government, numerous patent authorities, IP-driven companies, law firms, and a wide range of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Reed Tech has worked in the patent arena since 1970 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and offers a suite of IP solutions across the patent workflow under the LexisNexis IP brand.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 130 countries with 10,000 employees worldwide, is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries.

Nils Omland, PatentSight founder and CEO, will join LexisNexis IP and will continue to lead the PatentSight team from its existing headquarters in Bonn, Germany.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on behalf of PatentSight and its shareholders.

This transaction exemplifies the continued success of our dedicated Data & Analytics Group and adds to an impressive track record in advising IP data and analytics businesses, which includes the sale of ipan to Castik Capital, the combination of Chipworks with TechInsights, the sale of Lex Machina to LexisNexis, and the sale of Avedas to Clarivate Analytics. All transactions mentioned, with the exception of ipan, were closed at Quayle Munro prior to its acquisition by Houlihan Lokey to establish the Data & Analytics Group.