Copernic
Canadian software company associated with desktop and server search products for Microsoft Windows.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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History
Copernic’s origins date to the Canadian search-technology market of the 1990s. Copernic Technologies Inc. was incorporated in July 1996 under the name Agents Technology, Inc. Reference material identifies Quebec City as the founding location of the search-technology company, while later descriptions identify Copernic Inc. as based in Ottawa, Ontario. The company developed software intended to make locally stored digital information easier to locate, particularly as users accumulated growing numbers of documents, files, and email messages. Its principal consumer product became Copernic Desktop Search, a Windows utility that indexed information on a computer and allowed users to search it more efficiently than through basic file-browsing tools. Copernic also developed Copernic Server Search for business use. The product range included free and paid editions, with trials available for some commercial editions. This positioned the company between consumer utility software and business information-retrieval software. A major corporate turning point occurred on December 22, 2005, when Mamma.com completed its acquisition of Copernic Technologies. Mamma.com had been launched in July 1996 as an early tier-two web metasearch engine. The acquisition combined Mamma.com’s online search activities with Copernic’s desktop-search technology. The reference material reports that Copernic had generated approximately $5.9 million in revenue and approximately $1.8 million in EBITDA in the preceding fiscal year, and that Mamma.com paid $15.9 million and issued 2,380,000 common shares for the acquisition. On June 8, 2007, Mamma.com Inc. announced a corporate name change to Copernic Inc. The new name became effective in connection with a stock-symbol change to CNIC, effective June 14, 2007, and the company launched a new corporate website. This change made the Copernic identity central to the combined public company rather than limiting it to a software-product brand. The company later reversed part of the earlier combination. On June 30, 2009, Copernic completed the sale of Mamma.com and its third-party advertising network to Empresario, a privately owned digital-media network based in Chicago. The stated strategic rationale was to enable Copernic to concentrate on new product offerings. In November 2010, Copernic entered into an agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc. The supplied reference does not provide enough information to establish whether this agreement constituted a completed acquisition, a transfer of selected assets, or another arrangement. The product portfolio subsequently included web and mobile-related services as well as the core search products. Support for myCopernic on the Go! and Copernic Agent web metasearch ended on January 31, 2014. Copernic Online Backup, another announced product, was canceled. The supplied sources do not clearly document the company’s current corporate structure, ownership, website, executive team, or the continuing commercial availability of Copernic Desktop Search and Copernic Server Search. Those details therefore remain unresolved rather than being inferred from the historical corporate record.
- 2014
Selected service support ended
[1]Support for myCopernic on the Go! and Copernic Agent ended on January 31, 2014.
- 2010
Agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation
[1]Copernic entered into an agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation, a Constellation Software subsidiary.
- 2009
Mamma.com business sold
[1]Copernic completed the sale of Mamma.com and its third-party advertising network to Empresario and stated that it would focus on new product offerings.
- 2007
Corporate name changed to Copernic Inc.
[1]Mamma.com Inc. changed its name to Copernic Inc. and adopted the CNIC stock symbol, effective June 14, 2007.
- 2005
Mamma.com acquired Copernic Technologies
[1]Mamma.com completed its acquisition of Copernic Technologies on December 22, bringing Copernic’s desktop-search technology into the Mamma.com corporate group.
- 1996
Copernic Technologies was incorporated
[1]Copernic Technologies Inc. was incorporated in July 1996 under the name Agents Technology, Inc.
Products and positioning
Search and information-management software for Windows users, spanning personal desktop search and business server search.
Desktop search software
Copernic Desktop Search
Copernic’s principal consumer-oriented search utility for Microsoft Windows. It was designed to index and retrieve information stored on a personal computer, including files and other local content. The product was offered in free and paid editions, with free trials associated with commercial versions. The supplied sources do not establish its current release status.
Enterprise and server search software
Copernic Server Search
A business-oriented search product intended for server and organizational environments. It extended Copernic’s search-software focus beyond an individual Windows desktop to information held in business systems. Specific supported platforms, deployment models, and current availability are not documented in the supplied material.
Web metasearch software
Copernic Agent
A Copernic web metasearch service associated with the company’s earlier search portfolio. The service was distinct from the desktop and server products and was eventually discontinued; support ended on January 31, 2014.
Mobile and remote search service
myCopernic on the Go!
A mobile or remote-access-oriented Copernic service. The available reference identifies it as one of the services for which support ended on January 31, 2014, but does not provide detailed technical or commercial specifications.
Online backup software
Copernic Online Backup
An announced online backup offering associated with the Copernic product portfolio. The product was canceled and therefore did not become an established continuing offering according to the supplied reference.
Controversies
2008
SEC insider-trading charges involving Mark Cuban’s Copernic holdings
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against Mark Cuban on November 17, 2008. The allegation was that he directed his broker to sell his entire 600,000-share position in the company after receiving insider information, thereby seeking to avoid losses of more than $750,000. The allegation concerned an investor’s trading activity rather than an established finding that Copernic itself engaged in misconduct.
Brand decisions
2010
Agreement with N. Harris Computer CorporationM&ABackground
Copernic entered an agreement with a subsidiary of Constellation Software, a significant change in its corporate direction and potential ownership structure.
Action taken
The company entered into an agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation.
Aftermath
The supplied sources do not state the final legal outcome or the subsequent operating structure of the Copernic brand.
2009
Sale of Mamma.com and third-party advertising networkM&ABackground
Copernic reassessed the combination of software operations with the Mamma.com metasearch and advertising activities.
Action taken
It sold Mamma.com and its third-party Ad Net to Empresario on June 30, 2009.
Aftermath
The company stated that the divestiture would allow it to focus on new product offerings.
2007
Corporate rebranding as Copernic Inc.StrategyBackground
Following the acquisition, the company changed its corporate identity to align the listed group with the Copernic software brand.
Action taken
Mamma.com Inc. changed its name to Copernic Inc. and changed its stock symbol to CNIC, effective June 14, 2007.
Aftermath
Copernic became the public company’s principal corporate name and launched a new corporate website.
2005
Acquisition by Mamma.comM&ABackground
Mamma.com sought to acquire Copernic Technologies and its search technology, including the Copernic Desktop Search business.
Action taken
The acquisition closed on December 22, 2005, using cash and common shares.
Aftermath
Copernic became part of the Mamma.com group, combining desktop-search software with Mamma.com’s online metasearch activities.
Acquisition consideration; target preceding-fiscal-year revenue and EBITDA. Approximately $5.9 million revenue and $1.8 million EBITDA; consideration of $15.9 million plus 2,380,000 common shares (Preceding fiscal year and transaction completed December 22, 2005)
Recent events
- 2014
Support ended for Copernic Agent and myCopernic on the Go![1]
Other
Support for the Copernic Agent web metasearch service and myCopernic on the Go! ended on January 31, 2014.
- 2010
Copernic entered an agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation[1]
M&A
Copernic entered into an agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc.; the supplied material does not specify the transaction’s final structure or completion details.
- 2009
Copernic sold Mamma.com and its third-party advertising network[1]
M&A
Copernic completed the sale of Mamma.com and its third-party Ad Net to Empresario, stating that the move would allow greater focus on new product offerings.
- 2007
Mamma.com changed its corporate name to Copernic Inc.[1]
Leadership change · Other
The listed company changed its name to Copernic Inc. and adopted the CNIC stock symbol, effective June 14, 2007.
- 2005
Mamma.com completed its acquisition of Copernic Technologies[1]
M&A
Mamma.com acquired Copernic Technologies, a search-technology company and producer of Copernic Desktop Search, in a transaction involving cash and common shares.
Sources1 sources
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