Blog
See what we’ve been up to and learn more about the thinking behind our work.
“How Intellectual Ventures Is Streamlining Its Portfolio.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (May 2016)
We followed up on our 2013 paper investigating Intellectual Venture's patent portfolio to understand what, why and when IV bought, sold and litigated patents. By comparing Intellectual Venture's 2013 assets with its 2016 assets, it is possible to draw conclusions about what you can do to help yourself should IV come knocking.
“The Yahoo Patent Portfolio: What Is the Market Price Today?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2016)
How much is Yahoo's patent portfolio worth? Business Insider reports that it could generate up to $3B. We disagree, and we use data to show why. With an estimated street price of $772M (high of $1.15B, a low of $393M), Yahoo has a valuable asset, just not a $3B asset.
“Finding the Best Patents – Forward Citation Analysis Still Wins.” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (March 2016)
How do you find the highest quality patents reliably and efficiently? We share our methodology and have made the code and model available under a Creative Commons license.
“High Value Patents: Does Family Size Matter When Looking for Better Patents?” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (March 2016)
We’ve identified five primary factors for consideration in patent ranking. In this article, we'll analyze how independent claim count, claim 1 word count, and family size & international filings can help to eliminate less useful patents quickly and efficiently.
“Modeling the Value of a Strategic Patent Portfolio for High-Tech Companies.” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (February 2016)
Are you looking for a financial model to explain your patent development and acquisition programs? We show how to answer your CEO’s, or GC’s, question about how much to spend on patents.
“The 2015 Brokered Patent Market: A Good Year to Be a Buyer.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (February 2016)
In many ways, the patent market is where the rubber meets the road in terms whether patents are valuable. It is the place where individual patents are assigned a price and also where companies often go for business solutions to patent challenges. We believe that shedding light on this market brings greater liquidity to patents as business assets, and brings all inventors and patent professionals more mindshare with business leaders.
“So, You Want to Buy Patents – 10 Best Practices in Corporate Patent Buying.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2016)
By adopting a few best practices, you can design and execute a successful patent buying program for your company.
“The Brokered Patent Market in 2015 – Driving Off a Cliff or Just a Detour.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2016)
Asking prices are down, but the patent brokerage business is not in as poor health as it may first appear – especially for a select handful of players.
“The Brokered Patent Market in 2014.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2015)
Every year, we carefully track the brokered patent packages for sale on the open market and provide insights into the comprehensive state of the market and how it is changing. 2014 has seen prices drop and the deal flow slow down but what does it mean for the future of the market?
“The Strategic Counter-Assertion Model for Patent Portfolio ROI.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (July 2015)
Targeting the revenues of other companies according to the patent assertion risk they present effectively defines your patent development and external acquisition strategies. We show how to build a financial model to determine where you spend your patent development and buying dollars and then how to calculate and ROI.
“What's Inside IV's Patent Portfolio.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (July 2014)
In December 2013 Intellectual Ventures (IV) took a step towards transparency by publicly listing about 33,000 of its patent assets, representing 82% of its patent monetization portfolio. Analyzing IV’s portfolio has now become a tractable problem.
“The Brokered Patent Market in 2013.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2014)
While the brokered patent market in the United States is going strong, there is still little analysis of this business. Our review of 222 deals offers insight into what is becoming a lucrative market. Here, we present our analysis of the brokered patent market in 2013.
“Turning the Spotlight on the Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2013)
Although sales of brokered patent packages reach an estimated $153 million a year, lack of data makes this a tricky market to evaluate. We attempt to illuminate this information void with our review of 186 patent packages consisting of a total of 5,394 issued US patents and 7,595 total patent assets worldwide.
“The Rise of the Patent Aggregators, Appendix B of Edison in the Boardroom: How Leading Companies Realize Value From Their Intellectual Property.” Richardson et. al. Wiley (November 2011)
What are patent aggregators? What do they do? How do they differ? We take a detailed look at the rise of patent aggregators and how this rise has affected the industry.
“The Non-Dilutive Cash Injection: Selling Your Patents.” Richardson et. al. WSGR Bulletin (July 2009)
You can sell your patents for a cash infusion. If you have a patent portfolio, you may want to consider selling your patents to meet your cash needs. We analyze the steps to selling your patents, including developing the sales package and finding the right price.
“The Patent Transactions Market at a Crossroads.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (March 2009)
We interviewed leading IP executives across the high tech industry as well as clients, colleagues and even competitors to provide you with valuable insights into the future of the patent market. Our conclusion: there has never been a better time to acquire high-quality patents at low prices.