Background information about Novagraaf

The foundations for the existing organisation were laid in 1888 when the first trademark and patent agency in the Netherlands was established under the name ‘Van der Graaf & Co's Merkenbureau NV’. Its activities centred on the protection of trademarks and inventions, which was a revolutionary concept in those days, because Intellectual Property was still very much in its infancy. For this reason, the agency's work was not only very innovative, but also very successful. With the increasing amount of international trade by Dutch companies, the activities of the trademark agency quickly shifted abroad. With a new name – Internationaal Merkenbureau Van der Graaf en Co’s NV – the first steps were taken beyond its familiar national frontiers.

In order to further press the agency’s international ambitions, it shortened and changed its name to Markgraaf in 1978. In the years that followed, public understanding about the importance of Intellectual Property began to grow, as did Markgraaf as more and more (international) clients began calling on the expertise of the trademark agency. Meanwhile, the market for trademarks and patents was also maturing. Keen to expand into the international market, more and more organisations began to acquire new companies and to seek new markets beyond their national borders. For Markgraaf, it was also a time to set a new course and to seek further international growth. In 2000, it merged with French IP specialist Novamark (established in 1954) and the organisation was renamed Novagraaf.

However, Novagraaf’s international ambitions did not end there. Novagraaf also acquired a number of leading British law firms, including JE Evans-Jackson & Co, QED, William A Shepherd & Son, Innovation Development Limited and Hillgate Patent Services, to strengthen its UK operations. The firm also underwent a similar operation in Switzerland with the addition of William Blanc & CIE. Thanks to those acquisitions, a unique international group has now come into being. Already, Novagraaf is the market leader in the Benelux and ranks among the top five service providers in the field of Intellectual Property in Europe. In Europe (CTM) and worldwide (IR), Novagraaf is responsible for the highest number of trademark registrations. We now have 400 employees and offices in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Switzerland.