GvW Graf von Westphalen has advised Global Graphics SE on the acquisition of Hamburg based (URW)++ Design & Development GmbH (“URW”).  Global Graphics SE, a UK company listed on Euronext, is a leading developer of software platforms on which its partners create solutions for digital printing, digital document and PDF applications. Customers include HP, Corel, Quark, Kodak and Agfa. In addition to its head office near Cambridge (United Kingdom), Global Graphics also has offices near Boston (Massachusetts/USA) and Tokyo.

URW develops and designs digital typefaces. In addition to licensing its extensive type libraries to the graphic design market, URW develops exclusive corporate typefaces counting companies including BMW, Daimler, Deutsche Bahn, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom, Evonik, Hilti, MAN, Siemens, Würth as well as Cisco, Lexmark, General Motors, Epson, NEC and Panasonic as its customers. Known for its technical expertise and innovation, URW has, over the past decade, developed a business in “global fonts” that include non-Latin scripts and that allow documents to be interchanged between many countries while maintaining brand identity.

Gary Fry, Global Graphics’ CEO said, “URW has been a strategic partner of ours in the office market for several years and there is a great deal of synergy between our businesses. With the recent growth we have experienced in the office market we have seen more opportunities for a combined proposition of our Harlequin RIP technology and URW’s font solutions.  Furthermore, the acquisition brings significant opportunities to expand the URW business geographically with the support of the Global Graphics world-wide infrastructure.”

Under the lead of Hamburg based partner Dr Ritesh Rajani, LL.M. (Corporate/M&A), Global Graphics was advised by a cross-office team consisting of partners Dr Christian Triebe (IP/Hamburg), Dr Malte Evers (Employment/Hamburg), Dr Frank Tschesche, LL.M. (Tax/Frankfurt), Andrea Torka, LL.M. (Real Estate/Frankfurt), Felix Wolf, LL.M., Maitre en Droit (Corporate/Munich) and Dr Patrick Wolff (Commercial/Hamburg) as well as associates Dr Maren Mönchmeyer (Commercial/Hamburg), Jana Hollstein, LL.M. (Commercial/Hamburg), Johan van der Veer (Insurance/Hamburg), Marius Bodenstedt (Employment/Hamburg), and Lars-Olaf Leskovar, LL.M. (Tax/Frankfurt).