A category-defining alliance in DACH
The partnership is rooted in a clear conviction: patent work is inherently local. Effective AI in intellectual property must reflect the legal frameworks, practices, and workflows of each jurisdiction, and DeepIP's vision is to deliver the most tailored, jurisdiction-specific experience possible, everywhere it operates.
PatentMaker embodies exactly that principle. PatentMaker, originally developed by Dr. Matthias Hofmann—German and European Patent Attorney and equity partner at the renowned patent law firm Boehmert & Boehmert—has become one of the most trusted solutions in Germany and across Europe. Built from real-world practice to streamline routine patent work, it is now used by nearly 50% of the top German IP law firms, as well as by leading corporate IP teams such as Infineon Technologies and Siemens AG.
DeepIP’s exceptional global traction
In parallel, DeepIP has rapidly emerged as the leading AI platform for patent drafting and prosecution in the United States and Europe. Since its launch, the company has raised over $40 million in under nine months and is now used by more than 400 law firms and corporate IP teams across 25 jurisdictions and five continents. DeepIP already works with more than half of the top 50 North American IP law firms, and more than 25,000 patent applications have been drafted on the platform, positioning it as a system of record for AI-native patent workflows.
A complete platform for the full patent lifecycle
By combining DeepIP’s end-to-end, workflow-native AI platform with PatentMaker’s strong foothold in the German and European IP ecosystem, the two companies offer a comprehensive solution tailored to the needs of patent professionals.
The platform enables law firms and in-house IP teams to support the full patent lifecycle—from invention capture and prior art search to drafting, filing, prosecution, and post-grant work—within a single, integrated, reliable, and secure environment. The result: faster turnaround times, higher-quality output, controlled budget, and seamless collaboration across teams, firms, and jurisdictions.
Building the European standard for patent AI
Beyond the product, the acquisition reflects a broader strategic move: combining global AI capabilities with local expertise to shape the next generation of patent workflows in Europe. The ambition is clear—to make AI a foundational layer of patent work and establish a new standard for how patent professionals operate across the continent.
François-Xavier Leduc, CEO of DeepIP:
"Germany is the innovation powerhouse of Europe, but it’s also a market where expectations are extremely high. What impressed us with PatentMaker is how deeply embedded it already is in practitioners' workflows. Made by practitioners, for practitioners, within the walls of Boehmert & Boehmert's house. This isn’t just a technology fit—it’s a shared way of thinking about how patent work should evolve. Having already gained significant adoption across the US and France, the acquisition of PatentMaker embeds us even more deeply in the EPO ecosystem. Together, we’re building a platform that helps patent professionals move faster, collaborate more effectively, and focus on higher-value work across the entire lifecycle."
Dr. Matthias Hofmann, Founder of PatentMaker:
“The idea behind this partnership is straightforward: to bring together the strengths of two proven solutions into one unified platform. DeepIP brings resources, software scalability, product depth, and global momentum, while PatentMaker brings practical legal expertise and a deep understanding of patent workflows in Germany and across Europe. By combining these complementary strengths, we are creating the leading European AI solution for patent professionals.”
With this acquisition DeepIP settles in Munich and opens its German office within the Boehmert & Boehmert’s premises. DeepIP has never been closer to the practitioners, anchored at the heart of the German IP ecosystem. Celia Wei, PatentMaker Managing Director, leads the German success at DeepIP. Matthias Hofmann, PatentMaker founder, joins DeepIP as Co-Founder in charge of Germany.
Boehmert & Boehmert: Pioneering the Development of AI-Driven Patent Practice in Europe
As one of Europe’s leading IP law firms and an early pioneer in leveraging advanced technologies for patent prosecution, Boehmert & Boehmert has played a foundational role in shaping what effective, real-world AI-assisted tools for patent-related work should look like. Their early collaboration with PatentMaker reflects a clear commitment: not just to adopt innovation, but to actively define the standards of modern patent practice. By aligning with DeepIP, Boehmert & Boehmert reinforces its position at the forefront of technological transformation in IP—combining legal excellence with next-generation tools to deliver faster, more consistent, and higher-quality outcomes for clients.
For more information, visit https://www.boehmert.de/ or LinkedIn.
Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar. German & European Patent Attorney and Equity Partner at Boehmert & Boehmert, Early Adopter of PatentMaker:
“The combination of DeepIP and Patentmaker strengthens DeepIP’s ability to help customers select the best ways to protect technical inventions through a global innovation platform that provides an optimized, locally informed view of intellectual property portfolios and rights. Bringing together expertise and data from both companies further supports practitioners to deliver in‑depth patent and trade‑secret work to identify, select and progress the very best candidate ideas for protections of all kinds.”
About DeepIP
DeepIP was founded in 2024 by François-Xavier Leduc and Edouard d’Archimbaud, CEO and CTO respectively. Both are serial entrepreneurs having created and led together Doppio Software, 2008, and Kili Technology, 2018. Edouard & François-Xavier work on transforming the world with AI since 2018.
DeepIP is a trusted, workflow-native AI platform built to support patent professionals across the full patent lifecycle—from early invention through enforcement. Designed to integrate directly into existing workflows, DeepIP helps both law firms and in-house IP teams manage complex patent work with greater continuity, quality, and collaboration. The platform is already trusted by leading patent law firms and corporate IP organizations across Europe and the United States, including Greenberg Traurig, Mewburn Ellis, Dexcom, and Philips.
DeepIP’s North American headquarters are in New York City and its European headquarters are in Paris, France.
About PatentMaker
PatentMaker was founded by Dr. Matthias Hofmann, German and European Patent Attorney and equity partner at Boehmert & Boehmert, one of Europe’s leading IP law firms. The idea originated from a simple need: improving efficiency in day-to-day patent work. Faced with routine and mundane, but nonetheless time-consuming tasks and no suitable solution on the market, Dr. Hofmann developed a customized tool to streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and lower costs.
PatentMaker is co-led by Celia Jinlan Wei, Managing Director of PatentMaker Software GmbH. With a strong background in marketing, business development and communications, including nearly six years at Prüfer & Partner, she has been instrumental in PatentMaker's go-to-market strategy and commercial growth since joining as Managing Director in 2024. She also drives PatentMaker's product positioning, with a particular focus on workflow integration for law firms and in-house IP teams.
What began as a tool quickly gained traction within the firm and became integrated into its systems. Its success was driven by its practical, attorney-first design—built by a patent professional, for patent professionals. Over time, PatentMaker expanded beyond its original use case and is now adopted by patent law firms and corporate IP teams across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
With a PhD in machine learning from the University of Oxford, Dr. Hofmann anticipated early on the transformative role AI would play in patent work. Under his leadership, PatentMaker has progressively integrated AI capabilities to support key tasks such as patent drafting, prosecution, standard mapping, and freedom-to-operate analysis. Today, the platform continues to evolve through close collaboration with its user base, incorporating feedback from practitioners to ensure it remains aligned with real-world IP workflows.
For more information, visit https://patentmaker.eu/ or LinkedIn.
FAQ: DeepIP Acquires PatentMaker
What is PatentMaker?
PatentMaker is an AI-powered platform for patent drafting and prosecution founded by Dr. Matthias Hofmann, a German and European Patent Attorney and equity partner at Boehmert & Boehmert. Originally developed within the firm to improve efficiency in day-to-day patent work, PatentMaker is now used by patent law firms and corporate IP teams across Europe, Asia, and North America. It is adopted by nearly half of Germany's leading IP law firms and by major innovators including Siemens and Infineon.
What does DeepIP's acquisition of PatentMaker mean?
DeepIP has acquired PatentMaker, one of Germany's most trusted AI platforms for patent drafting and prosecution. The combined company brings together DeepIP's workflow-native AI platform and PatentMaker's deep expertise in German and European patent practice to create a more comprehensive solution for patent professionals. Together, the companies aim to build Europe's leading AI platform for patent drafting, prosecution, and broader patent lifecycle management.
Will PatentMaker continue to operate?
Yes. Existing PatentMaker customers will continue using the platform without disruption. Existing contracts, integrations, and workflows remain unchanged. Over time, DeepIP and PatentMaker capabilities will be brought together into a unified platform, with a strong focus on continuity for current users. The goal is for the transition to feel like an upgrade, not a migration.
Will DeepIP customers be affected?
Current DeepIP customers can continue using the platform exactly as they do today. The acquisition expands DeepIP's capabilities in Germany and Europe while strengthening support across the broader patent lifecycle. Customers can expect access to additional expertise, functionality, and jurisdiction-specific capabilities over time, with no disruptions.
Why did DeepIP acquire PatentMaker?
The acquisition reflects a shared belief that effective AI for patent work must combine global technology with local legal expertise. PatentMaker has become one of the most widely adopted AI solutions among German patent professionals, while DeepIP has established itself as a leading patent AI platform across North America and Europe. Together, the companies can deliver both global AI scale and jurisdiction-specific precision.
Why is Germany important for patent innovation?
Germany is Europe's largest patent-filing market and home to some of the world's most innovative companies, including Siemens and Infineon. The country also plays a central role in the European Patent Office ecosystem and the Unified Patent Court framework. For companies building technology for patent professionals, Germany is one of the most important markets in the world.
Why is local expertise critical for AI in patent work?
Patent law is inherently local. Drafting conventions, prosecution strategies, examiner expectations, and legal frameworks differ significantly between jurisdictions. AI systems that fail to account for these differences risk producing outputs that are technically correct but poorly aligned with local practice. PatentMaker's success stems from being developed inside one of Germany's leading patent law firms and shaped by real-world patent attorney workflows.
What makes patent-specific AI different from general AI tools?
Patent work requires a unique combination of legal reasoning, technical accuracy, consistency, traceability, and workflow integration. General-purpose AI tools are designed for broad conversational tasks, whereas patent-specific AI platforms are built around the realities of patent drafting, prosecution, prior art analysis, portfolio management, and collaboration. This specialization delivers greater reliability, security, and practical value for patent professionals.
How does DeepIP support the full patent lifecycle?
The combined DeepIP and PatentMaker platform helps patent professionals manage every stage of patent work within a single environment. Capabilities span invention disclosure and capture, prior art search, patent drafting, filing, prosecution, portfolio management, and post-grant activities. The goal is to reduce context switching, improve collaboration, and create a more seamless workflow from invention to enforcement.
How does DeepIP protect customer data?
Security is foundational to DeepIP's platform. DeepIP maintains certifications including SOC 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 42001. Customer data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, processed through dedicated infrastructure, and is never used to train AI models. The platform is designed to meet the security, privacy, and compliance requirements of law firms and corporate intellectual property teams.
What is the vision for the combined company?
The vision is to establish a new standard for patent AI by combining DeepIP's global platform and AI capabilities with PatentMaker's deep legal and jurisdictional expertise. Together, the companies aim to build Europe's leading AI platform for patent drafting and prosecution while supporting the full patent lifecycle for law firms and corporate IP teams worldwide.
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