CitizenHawk

Petsky Prunier Advises CitizenHawk on its Sale to Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Services

September 11, 2013 (New York, NY) – Petsky Prunier is pleased to announce it has advised CitizenHawk Inc., a premier global provider of SaaS-based online brand protection and domain recovery solutions, on its sale to the Corporate Legal Services (CLS) unit of Wolters Kluwer NV, a leading multi-national provider of professional information services. CitizenHawk was a portfolio company of venture capital firm Maveron LLC.

CitizenHawk, based in Aliso Viejo, California, serves more than 250 blue-chip brands – including nearly one in four of the Internet Retailer Top 500. The company’s combination of deep industry expertise coupled with advanced monitoring software allows its clients to not only identify, but also act to prevent and remediate brand threats. CitizenHawk offers sophisticated technology that identifies trademark infringement and also boasts a patented methodology for its domain recovery process.

The acquisition further expands CLS’s global portfolio of trademark and brand clearance and protection solutions under the Corsearch brand, extending Corsearch’s capabilities into a rapidly growing market. CitizenHawk's technology will soon be integrated into Corsearch's service offerings to create a single solution for trademark professionals. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Managing and protecting a company's brand is more complex today than ever before. Brands around the world are at risk of online brand misuse or trademark infringement – ranging from cybersquatting and logo abuse to unauthorized product distribution. The CitizenHawk acquisition allows Corsearch to offer its customers a greater range of online brand protection services – such as continuous monitoring of the Internet for cybersquatting; identifying and taking action on unauthorized and fraudulent domains; and scanning eCommerce, social media, and other channels for brand sentiment or abuse.

A team from Petsky Prunier, led by John Prunier and Scott Wiggins, served as exclusive financial advisor to CitizenHawk.