CDSA

The combined business will offer full lifecycle IP and brand optimization, monetization, and protection solutions to some of the world’s most recognized brands. Mats Boström, Chief Executive Officer of Zacco, will join the OpSec Executive Leadership Team immediately.

OpSec has evolved from its origins in physical product authentication to also protect brand identity, reputation, and content online. The addition of Zacco extends the value that OpSec offers to its extensive customer base of leading brands, with the ability to register and maintain patents, trademarks, and industrial designs, as well as digital brand assets such as domain names. With a 150 year heritage and a multidisciplinary team of IP management experts, Zacco brings considerable IP knowledge and insight. It is also pioneering a technology-enabled approach to IP management.

“Together, we are starting to shape a practical vision of what a full lifecycle IP and brand solution could offer,” said Dr Selva Selvaratnam, Chief Executive Officer of OpSec Security. “This is an exciting opportunity to combine capabilities and make a real difference for our customers. The value now attributable to intangible assets dominates all industries, across both physical and digital domains. At the same time, operating environments are bringing new threats and complexities. So, building and protecting brand value are becoming inextricably linked, and demanding bold new approaches.”

Many OpSec solutions, such as licensing and merchandising, already unify multiple objectives across brand enhancement, monetization, and protection. From product authentication and engagement marketing to royalty reconciliation and enforcement against unauthorized selling, the OpSec platform is a turnkey solution for large scale licensing programs. With the greater control and visibility Zacco brings to complex IP portfolios, there is clear potential to bring greater integration and resilience, from the inception of brand monetization strategies to their downstream implementation.

“Zacco has focused on helping our customers build and maintain their brand ideas, identity, and technology within a conventional IP framework,” added Mats Boström, Chief Executive Officer of Zacco. “Both businesses bring their own experiences of protecting brands and their IP rights across a range of environments, in particular digital. For us, this includes an important focus on technologies and the management of associated IP rights. But what is interesting about Zacco and OpSec is that we also have a real affinity with products brands. For us it is about the patents and industrial designs, while for OpSec it is about their on-product enhancement and protection, as well as transparency and control in supply chains.”

The combined business will count IP management professionals, software engineers, optical scientists, data analysts, and product designers amongst its global employees. This will bring opportunities to combine skills and knowledge in new ways. With a shared customer base of significant global brands, the ability to offer an expanded portfolio will create new reasons to remain with or move to OpSec.

“The hard work starts now,” noted Jesper Kongstad, Vice Chairman of Zacco. “Our teams are already focused on delivering exceptional service to our customers. But with this next step, we are looking forward to being able to once again redefine what IP and brand management could look like for our industry. These are exciting times for IP and brands, and we look forward to playing our part.”

Marks Baughan Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to Zacco A/S, while Lundgrens acted as legal counsel. Nivaro and Proskauer acted jointly as legal counsel to OpSec.