The IFI Names Service: Corporate Name Mappings
Patents are notorious for having errors and misspellings, which increases the difficulty in accurately tracking corporate patent holdings. For example, IFI has identified over 2,000 company name variations in patents for IBM alone. To accurately capture all the patent documents related to one company, and account for company name inconsistencies, IFI created the IFI Names Services which provides one unique, searchable IFI Name of patent-holding organizations.
Who really owns the patent?
The IFI Names Service provides a simple method to find the standardized form of a company name (the ‘IFI Name’) and its corporate parent (the ‘IFI Ultimate Owner’). It also provides a quick and efficient way to get a list of subsidiaries associated with an IFI Ultimate Owner. It has never been easier to access comprehensive IP profiles of public and private companies that can be used to support investment decisions, risk analysis, or competitive intelligence.
How IFI Maps Patent Asset Holdings to Corporations
Step 1: Normalize
First, IFI identifies company name misspellings, accounts for different legal formats and any punctuation to create one format for a company name. For example, the company name "Google" could vary and contain misspellings including: "goggle", "Google llc." and "Googel." Once misspellings and variations are identified IFI normalizes the name to "Google LLC."
Step 2: Standardize
The IFI standardization process is essential in creating one unique, searchable company name. This process groups all company name variations, including names written in various languages and company abbreviations, under one IFI Name.
Step 3: Harmonize
The harmonization step is key in determining which company ultimately owns patent assets, otherwise know as the IFI Ultimate Owner. In this step, IFI accounts for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and any other company event which may affect patent ownership or company names. This monitoring process allows our partners to easily analyze corporate patent portfolios at the parent company or subsidiary level.
Linking to IFI Names
Link to IFI Names by using tickers, UCIDs or soon to come LEIs. Looking for another way to connect? Send our team a message to discover how we can help you link patent data to your existing datasets.
Stock Indexes
IFI’s global patent data coverage also includes companies listed on stock indexes such as the Russell 3000, S&P 500, Nikkei 250, and the DAX 40.
IFI Names Use Cases
Applying Patent Intelligence to Financial Events
Leveraging IFI Names & Snapshots: A Use Case Using the Merger of Neenah Inc. and Schweitzer Mauduit International Inc.
View case studySpin-Offs & Determining Patent Ownership
Exploring Ultimate Owner and IFI Names through the spin-off of Vitesco Technologies Group AG by Continental AG.
View case study