New Zealand trademark law practice Sortify has been bought for $11 million by ASX-listed Australian intellectual property group QANTM Intellectual Property Ltd, establishing a further kiwi law tech success story.
Sorftify has achieved status as the top-ranked online trademark filing website in both Australia and New Zealand, as the second- the third-ranked trademark filing agent respectively.
But it may be the international growth that has helped make up QANTM’s mind to buy the business, as Sortify has launched an automated trademark filing platform in the UK.
Auckland-based Sortify started life as a traditional trademark practice but has become a legal tech company that provide tech solutions to brand owners, IP lawyers and both public and private sector groups.
The company bills itself as the world’s most advanced A.I. and N.L.P. (natural language processing) based trademark productivity suite, co-founded by IP lawyer Alan Potter of Potter IP.
Blue Sky Law Tech Thinkers
Speaking about the acquisition, QANTM chief executive Craig Dower said that Sortify.tm’s founders – Claire Foggo, Alan Potter and Narly Kalupahana – are “impressive blue-sky thinkers” who have deep experience in IT and tech, together with “sound commercial acumen and an entrepreneurial spirit”.
“They have put together an outstanding team of people who will seamlessly integrate into QANTM and who will be able to hit the ground running,” he said.
“The acquisition significantly increases the number of trademark applications being filed by QANTM companies in Australia and New Zealand and builds upon our market-leading position.
Sortify co-founder Claire Foggo, who is the CEO of Sortify.tm, said that the sale would permit the development of the online trademark registration business by tapping into the significant expertise of QANTM’s trademark lawyers and attorneys across Australia and South East Asia.
