RWS acquires Obviously for total potential consideration of GBP 40M

RWS has acquired Obviously Group, anintegrated platform that enables enterprise clients to seamlessly manage, protect and enforce their Intellectual Property and brand integrity. RWS will pay GBP 16.5M in initial cash consideration, with up to a further GBP 23.5M in deferred contingent consideration payable over three financial years subject to agreed profit targets, taking total potential consideration to GBP 40M. The company said, “Headquartered in London, Obviously has developed an integrated platform for enterprise legal, marketing and finance teams – helping them track brand assets and IP rights, identify threats such as counterfeits and copycats, protect brand integrity and quantify the commercial impact of infringement. Combining Obviously’s technology with RWS’s patent and localization capabilities creates a single ‘Global Brand Guardianship’ platform – one place for enterprises to create, localize, register, monitor and enforce their brands and IP across every market they operate in. It is the first solution to bring the full brand lifecycle, from creation through to enforcement, into a single unified system. Obviously’s enterprise client base spans media and entertainment, technology, financial services, pharmaceuticals and sport.” Obviously will become part of RWS’s Protect segment – which helps clients safeguard their ideas globally with confidence by blending the latest technologies with the best of human expertise to optimize every stage of the IP lifecycle, from concept through to commercialization.