CPA ACQUIRES RENOWNED PATENT RESEARCH DIVISION OF GERMANY'S SVPG

Strengthens expertise in key market and industry sectors, including pharmaceutical and chemical

London, 8 October 2008---CPA, the world's top intellectual-property management specialist and a leading provider of outsourced legal support services, announced today that it has acquired the renowned patent research division of SVPG GmbH. Frankfurt-based SVPG, formerly part of Hoechst AG, has a proud history in patent research dating back more than 20 years and specialising in the pharmaceutical, chemical, life sciences, biotech, and engineering sectors.

The acquisition underlines CPA's commitment to become the leading player in the global patent research business by increasing its presence in key international markets and further strengthening its expertise in specialist industry sectors. CPA is already one of the largest patent researching entities in the world, with offices in the UK (London), Germany (Munich), the US (Alexandria, VA) and India (Noida), and more than 90 patent research specialists located across three continents.

Chris Veator, Executive Vice-President, CPA Legal Services, said: "We are continuing to expand our portfolio of patent lifecycle services, of which Patent Research is a critical component. Patent research is an area of strong growth in the outsourced legal services industry, especially for CPA, and the acquisition of SVPG's patent research division is a significant part of our growth strategy. It will make an important contribution towards our goal of becoming the recognised global leader in quality patent research for all our clients."

Randy Lacasse, Head of CPA's patent search business, said: "We're delighted to be bringing SVPG into our global patent research business. They are a highly respected firm with first rate patent research and technical analysis skills. The acquisition strengthens our presence and client base in the important German market, while further enhancing our expertise in key industry sectors such as pharmaceutical, chemical and life sciences, as well as our linguistic capabilities."

About SVPG

Formerly a business unit of German chemical and life sciences company Hoechst AG (now part of Sanofi Aventis), SVPG has a proud history in patent research dating back more than 20 years and specialising in the chemical, life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotech, and engineering sectors. SVPG counts amongst its clients many of the leading corporations and law firms in Germany.

For further information visit: www.svpg.de/en

About CPA

With clients in over 100 countries, CPA is a leading provider of outsourced legal support services and the world's top intellectual property (IP) management specialist. Founded in 1969, CPA provides lifecycle management services for intellectual property such as patent, design and trademark searching, watching, renewals, and portfolio strategy. CPA is also a leader in the growing market for outsourced contract management and litigation support services, helping law firms and corporations to realise value by managing risk, cost and capacity. CPA employs over 1,000 people in 16 offices in 8 countries.

For further information visit: www.cpaglobal.com

CPA and Patent Research
The value and critical nature of patents in business has become far more important and apparent in recent years, with patents underpinning a high proportion of corporate valuations through "intangible assets" and with increased emphasis on patent commercialisation, such as active patent portfolio strategy management, licensing, and divesting non-core assets. As a result, maintenance of existing portfolios, applications for new patents and the rise of patent litigation are increasingly complicated, time consuming and costly. Patent research is a fundamental step in the process of filing patent applications, managing a patent portfolio and supporting patent litigation, which make it a key driver behind the Intellectual Property strategy of many businesses today. Now in its 15th year of patent research, CPA has conducted over 25,000 patent search projects and is one of the largest patent researching entities in the world, with more than 100 patent research specialists located across three continents able to consistently deliver high quality patent searches, quickly and methodically. CPA provides a full range of patent research services including Patentability/Novelty searches in support of new inventions, Freedom to Operate searches in connection with new product launches, advanced Patent Landscaping to assist strategic patent portfolio management and Validity or Clearance/Infringement searches related to patent litigation.

For further information visit: www.cpaglobal.com/patents

Media Contacts

UK
Steve Clark, CPA, +44 (0)1784 224 351
sclark@cpaglobal.com

Kate Miller, Brunswick Group, +44 (0)20 7404 5959
cpauk@brunswickgroup.com

USA
Julie Mandell, CPA, +1 (571) 227-7025
jmandell@cpaglobal.com

Justin Dini, Brunswick Group, +1 (212) 333-3810
cpaUS@brunswickgroup.com

Related links:

http://www.cpaglobal.com
http://www.cpaglobal.com/patents/research
http://www.cpaglobal.com/patents
http://www.cpaglobal.com/legal_process_outsourcing
http://www.cpaglobal.com/trademarks
http://www.cpaglobal.com/legal_process_outsourcing/contract_management
http://www.cpaglobal.com/ip-review-online/ip-strategy