The Gathering Publications

The Gathering regularly publishes on key strategic IP issues. You can read and download our presentations, papers, and articles.

May 09 2022
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“The 2021 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (March 2022)

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Since we started tracking the brokered patent market in 2012, we have seen more than $38 billion worth of patent assets offered on the market. As market information becomes more accessible, more companies participate and close deals.

In this report, you will find asking prices by technology, buying trends, advice on buying practices and much more.

This is our 10th consecutive year of publishing our annual market report, and we are always trying to improve the report. Please drop us a note with any comments or suggestions.

We provide these reports in an effort to bring greater transparency to the market. To that end, we just finished our ROI Real Prices survey of more than 35 recognized IP leading companies. The survey analyzed the closing prices of over 760 deals worth more than $2 billion. Although we cannot include the results of that report here, they were compelling. Please contact us if you would like more information about ROI Real Prices.

This article first appeared on IAM-Media, published by Law Business Research – IP Division.

Download the PDF version: “The 2021 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (March 2022)

Feb 10 2021
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“Measuring Diversity in Invention and Patenting Is Easier Said Than Done.” Harrison et. al. IAM Media (November 2020)

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Stakeholders across the IP community are keen to increase diversity in their ranks but, as Suzanne Harrison and Erik Oliver explain, even the most sophisticated companies face a challenge in building a full picture of precisely who is participating in the patenting process.

“Measuring Diversity in Invention and Patenting Is Easier Said Than Done.” Harrison et. al. IAM Media (November 2020), available here.

This article first appeared in IAM-Media.

Jan 14 2021
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“IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2021.” IAM Media (January 2021)

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The IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders guide draws from the worlds of private practice, consulting and other service providers, with specialists from the major IP markets in the America’s, Europe and Asia. Together they boast a wide range of expertise in IP-intensive sectors such as high-tech and life sciences.

Kent Richardson and Erik Oliver of Richardson Oliver Insights are featured leaders in this year’s guide. Kent’s interview is available here. Erik’s interview is available here.

Jan 06 2021
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“The 2020 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (November 2020)

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A surge in NPE activity is beginning even as corporate buying is declining – time to hug your defensive aggregator.

After 10 years analysing the patent market, we have some very direct advice this year. If you are in-house counsel, to borrow a line from Samuel L Jackson: “Hold onto your butts.” These next few years are going to be tough. If you have not already signed up with a defensive aggregator such as Unified Patents, RPX, the Open Invention Network, the License on Transfer (LOT) Network or Allied Security Trust (AST), we recommend dusting off your defensive strategy and re-evaluating it.

Download the PDF version: “The 2020 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (November 2020)

Dec 21 2020
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“LOT Network: Why the Largest Portfolio in the World Reduces Risk From Patent Assertion Entities.” Seddon et. al. The Patent Lawyer (December 2020)

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Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network, Nigel Swycher, CEO of Cipher, and Kent Richardson, Partner at Richardson Oliver Law Group, provide an overview into the impact PAE’s can have and how LOT Network can help.

This article first appeared in The Patent Lawyer, published by CTC Legal Media. To view the issue in full, please go to https://edition.pagesuite rofessional.co.uk/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=c317037e-0b8b-44be-ac7c-7a4a7dbcddfa

“LOT Network: Why the Largest Portfolio in the World Reduces Risk From Patent Assertion Entities.” Seddon et. al. The Patent Lawyer (December 2020), available here.

Oct 29 2020
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“A Patent’s Journey From IAM Market to Facebook v Blackberry.” Oliver et. al. IAM Media (July 2020)

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Five years since IAM Market was launched, analysis by Hannes Forssberg Malm and Erik Oliver of Richardson Oliver Insights shows that assets listed on the platform have been put to good use by those who acquire them.

“A Patent’s Journey From IAM Market to Facebook v Blackberry.” Oliver et. al. IAM Media (July 2020), available here.

Oct 29 2020
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LOT Network Report 2020

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What do IBM, Continental and Olympus all have in Common? They’ve all taken steps to maximize the value of their patents, they’ve reduced the risk of PAE litigation and they joined the LOT Network in 2020.

Richardson Oliver Law Group, Cipher, and LOT Network have just launched a report that discusses the 2.7 million assets under the LOT protection umbrella that companies like IBM and Continental have opted into.

LOT Network Report 2020: Why the largest patent portfolio in the world reduces PAE risk delves into the following key points:

  • Patent assertion entity risk,
  • LOT Network today,
  • The LOT Network portfolio,
  • and a look into what the future holds.

“LOT Network Report 2020.” Seddon et. al. LOT Portfolio Webinar and Report (October 2020), available here.

Sep 30 2020
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“Quickly Modeling Patent Value.” Oliver et. al. IP Watchdog (September 2020)

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Imagine you are presenting to your boss and requesting approval of a $2 million purchase of four patent families. Already savvy about market prices, she is focused on the impact of the purchase to the business. Her question: “So what are these patents worth and what will the impact be of the purchase?” Unless you have done some sort of valuation to quantify the worth of these patents for the business, you may find yourself talking vaguely about synergies or avoided costs.

“Quickly Modeling Patent Value.” Oliver et. al. IP Watchdog (September 2020), available here.

Jun 08 2020
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“Unpacking the Royalty Stack.” Oliver et. al. IAM Media (June 2020)

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Just how much device makers are on the hook for in patent licensing payouts is one of the most debated questions in the IP community. While a complete answer may remain elusive, an analytical approach can help manufacturers assess their risk.

“Unpacking the Royalty Stack.” Oliver et. al. IAM Media (June 2020), available here.

This article first appeared in IAM Issue 100, published by Law Business Research – IP Division. To view the issue in full, please go to www.IAM-media.com.

Mar 09 2020
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“A Rapid Analysis of Intel’s Connected Devices Patent Portfolio.” Richardson. IAM Media (March 2020)

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Late last year, Intel resurfaced the sale of a connected devices patent portfolio that was sidelined during the $1 billion sale of the majority of their smartphone modem assets to Apple (which included a pile of cellular wireless related patents). Intel has opened the sale to operating companies, defensive aggregators and even NPEs (non-binding indications of interest are due from bidders at the end of this month). We were asked to review the remaining portfolio and determine how it fits with the buying needs of participants in the secondary patent market.

“A Rapid Analysis of Intel’s Connected Devices Patent Portfolio.” Richardson. IAM Media (March 2020), available here.

Dec 10 2019
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Newspapers

“How the Threat of Unsold Rights, the Rise of the In-House Dealmaker and a Revolution in Analytics Are Re-Shaping the IP Deals Market.” Lloyd. IAM Media (December 2019)

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The current issue of IAM carries the latest annual survey on the brokered patent deals market from the team at Richardson Oliver Insights. Since we first started running this analysis in 2013 (subscribers can see the first piece here) some things in the deals space have stayed the same while a lot, not surprisingly, has changed. One thing that has remained constant is the quality of the insights from ROI with the survey becoming a must-read for anyone involved in IP transactions.

“How the Threat of Unsold Rights, the Rise of the In-House Dealmaker and a Revolution in Analytics Are Re-Shaping the IP Deals Market.” Lloyd. IAM Media (December 2019), available here.

Nov 29 2019
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The 2019 Brokered Patent Market Report is Now Available

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Our full 2019 Brokered Market Report is now available for download here. Download and learn the latest about the brokered patent market. Key take-aways include:

  • The average asking price of a US patent was $280,000, up from last year
  • 48% of all transacted deals in 2019 were bought by NPEs
  • $300 million worth of brokered deals closed in 2019

“ROI’s brokered patent market report continues to be one of the year’s most read and anticipated pieces amongst IAM’s subscriber base of global IP executives and professionals” – Joff Wild, Editor in Chief of IAM

This article first appeared in IAM Winter, published by Law Business Research – IP Division. To view the issue in full, please go to www.IAM-media.com.

“The 2019 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (Jan 2020).

Our 2019 Brokered Market Report is available for free download here.

Aug 22 2019
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SSRN Logo

“U.S. Patent Sales by Universities and Research Institutes.” Love et al. Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (August 2019)

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In addition to licensing or litigating patent rights, universities have the option to sell their patents outright to third parties. In this chapter, we explore the extent to which universities and other nonprofit research institutes currently participate in the secondary market for patents.

“U.S. Patent Sales by Universities and Research Institutes.” Love et. al. Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (August 2019), available here.

Feb 12 2019
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“AT&T’s Portfolio is a Treasure Trove for Buyers.” Diakun. IAM Market (February 2019)

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IAM recently covered AT&T’s increased activity in the secondary patent market, with Lyft, Uber and Facebook among the companies that have purchased its assets.  The telecoms giant has a significant portfolio – in terms of volume and quality – which has attracted a number of businesses looking to bolster their own holdings.  

“AT&T’s Portfolio is a Treasure Trove for Buyers.” Diakun. IAM Market (February 2019), available here.

Jan 16 2019
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“Brokered Patents Are Not Junk—and the Reasons Will Surprise You.” Ågren et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2019)

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Occasionally, we hear people say, “brokered patents are all junk.” This begs the question, “are operating companies and non-practicing entities (NPEs) spending hundreds of millions of dollars buying junk patents?” Luckily, the short answer is no. We know clients have successfully bought and used brokered patents to substantially alter their licensing and litigation posture at a lower cost than the alternatives. We also know that patents on the brokered market rank higher than average patents (See “Finding the Best Patents — Forward Citation Analysis Still Wins”, by Oliver, et al.). So why this disconnect? We are victims of our own cognitive biases and the behavioral economic traps that make it harder for buyers to find and buy patents.

 “Brokered Patents Are Not Junk—and the Reasons Will Surprise You.” Ågren et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2019), here. 


Jul 05 2018
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“Finding a Role for Insurance in a Technology-Driven Economy.” Freestone. InsuranceERM (July 2018)

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Tim Freestone explores why the growth in intellectual property and patent risks has not been matched by a corresponding growth in insurance. Tim interviews industry veterans including Kent Richardson on patent infringement insurance opportunities.

“Finding a Role for Insurance in a Technology-Driven Economy.” Freestone. InsuranceERM (July 2018), available here.

Apr 25 2018
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“SAS: When the Patent Office Institutes IPR It Must Decide Patentability of All Challenged Claims.” Quinn et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2018)

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Yesterday the United States Supreme Court issued decisions in both Oil States v. Green Energy and SAS Institute v. Iancu. In Oil States the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of inter partes review (see here, here and here). In SAS Institute, a 5-4 majority ruled that there is no authorization in the statute for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to partially institute a petition for inter partes review. Thus, the Supreme Court held that when the Patent Office institutes an inter partes review it must decide the patentability of all of the claims the petitioner has challenged.

To provide instant reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision in SAS Institute we’ve reached out to an All-Star panel of industry experts for their take on this important decision. Their analysis follows.

“SAS: When the Patent Office Institutes IPR It Must Decide Patentability of All Challenged Claims.” Quinn et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2018), available here.

Apr 24 2018
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“Industry Reaction to Supreme Court Decision in Oil State v. Green Energy.” Quinn et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2018)

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Earlier today the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Oil States v. Green Energy, finding that inter partes review is constitutional both under Article III and the Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution. In a 7-2 decision, the Court determined that patents are a government franchise that are subject to review by the Patent Office even after granting, and can be revoked at any time.

“Industry Reaction to Supreme Court Decision in Oil State v. Green Energy.” Quinn et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2018), available here.

Apr 08 2018
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“So, What’s the Value of Your Patent Strategy? Getting From Assumptions to Numbers.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2018)

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10,000+ patents, spending $10M’s per year, cross-licenses, and license potential with dozens of companies, what’s the value of the portfolio to the business? Is your patent strategy valuable to your company? How? OK, tag you are it, what is the answer? The problem seems intractable. In previous articles, we have discussed how to determine your general patent risk and how to put a number on it. But where do you start when you are trying to estimate the value of your patent strategy?

“So, What’s the Value of Your Patent Strategy? Getting From Assumptions to Numbers.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2018), available here.

Mar 29 2018
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“What Will TV Cost You? Putting a Price on HEVC Licenses.” Oliver et. al. IAM Magazine Issue 89 (March 2018)

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Changes in how you watch movies, stream TV and use video chat are on the way. These will fundamentally affect the economics of how content is delivered to you, as well as the way that the patents underpinning the enabling technology are licensed.

“What Will TV Cost You? Putting a Price on HEVC Licenses.” Oliver et. al. IAM Magazine Issue 89 (March 2018), available here.

The article from ROL looks at which patent owners have signed up as licensors to each pool, details how many patents they have on offer and royalty rates which are a combination of publicly available figures and, for Velos, the authors’ own estimates. The analysis pegs the handset royalty rate covered by the main pools at $1.60 which is increased to $2.25 when unaffiliated patent owners (which include Nokia and Microsoft) are included. As the article points out, that represents a royalty of 1.1% for a handset with an average sales price of $200. By way of comparison for 4G LTE technology the cumulative royalty per phone has been estimated to be $7.25.

Full overview by Richard Llyod, available here.

Jan 09 2018
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“Billions of Dollars at Risk: How to Manage Patent Licensing Across Entire Industries. A Case Study.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2018)

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We explore how you can model the expected cost and revenue of your ongoing cross-licensing negotiations to make it easier to prioritize your activities, and how doing that helps you run your cross-licensing program like a business.

“Billions of Dollars at Risk: How to Manage Patent Licensing Across Entire Industries. A Case Study.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2018), available here.

Jan 01 2018
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“The 2017 Brokered Patent Market – the Fightback Begins.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2018)

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In our sixth annual report on the secondary patent market, we find stabilization and even recovery. Years of negative results for patent holders have created a community feel that does not comport with the market data. Sales increased to just under $300M from $165M last year.

“The 2017 Brokered Patent Market – the Fightback Begins.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2018), available here. PDF version The Brokered Patent Market – The Fightback Begins Back – IAM87 – Richardson, Oliver, Costa.

Dec 09 2017
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“The Patent Enforcement Iceberg.” Lemley et. al. Stanford Law School (December 2017)

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We surveyed 30 leading technology companies to discover how much many unseen patent assertions they face in a year. Unseen patent assertions are invitations to take a patent license where there is no litigation. We use the data to extrapolate the costs to these companies.

“The Patent Enforcement Iceberg.” Lemley et. al. Stanford Law School (December 2017), available here.

Aug 21 2017
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“Finding Your Way From Patent Value to Return-On-Investment. A Patent Strategy Case Study.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2017)

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Our client’s executive team needed to better understand the investment and expected risk reduction return from their patent portfolio. We helped them build a financial model and direct their patent strategy using an approach where we identified and maximized patent value.

“Finding Your Way From Patent Value to Return-On-Investment. A Patent Strategy Case Study.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2017), available here.

Aug 09 2017
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“Patent Quality Isn’t the Question. Patent Value Is the Question.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2017)

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Why is patent value a better metric to use to set patent strategy? What sources of patent value can be identified for high technology companies? We review how patents are used and how they can be valued based upon their use.

“Patent Quality Isn’t the Question. Patent Value Is the Question.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2017), available here.

Aug 06 2017
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“You Need Defensive Patents but You Don’t Have Any. Now What? A Case Study.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2017)

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“You Need Defensive Patents but You Don’t Have Any. Now What? A Case Study.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2017)

The setting is familiar: a large corporate asserter uses its patents against a smaller, high-growth company with no patents. Companies like Qualcomm, IBM, Nokia, and Microsoft regularly assert their patents. This case study describes how one of our clients included patent buying into their patent strategy to successfully defended against a corporate assertion by acquiring patents in the open market.

Also, available in our case studies here.

Jul 21 2017
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“Now a Big Company Wants You to Take a Patent License…” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (July 2017)

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Most high technology companies have a good grasp of the challenges and solutions for dealing with patent trolls. However, successful high technology startups face a threat beyond patent trolls: large corporate patent asserters looking to license their patents. These companies are not patent trolls by most definitions, and companies should adapt their approach to handling patent assertions from these kinds of companies. We explore how we worked with a successful startup client to handle such an assertion.

“Now a Big Company Wants You to Take a Patent License…” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (July 2017), available here.

Apr 25 2017
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“Litigation and IPRs: More Dangerous Than You Thought?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017)

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Part five of the six-part IPWatchdog examination of the 2016 market has ROL Group looking into the risk for companies from patent assets on the market. We look into what types of packages are more likely to lead to litigation, and when in a patent’s lifetime are you more likely to expect trouble.

“Litigation and IPRs: More Dangerous Than You Thought?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017), available here.

Apr 20 2017
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“Patent Sales Rates Decreased in 2016, but Patent Market Remains Viable and Robust.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017)

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In this fourth installment in the six-part series of the 2016 market report from IPWatchdog, the ROL Group team helps shed light on the market trends that patent buyers and sellers should keep in mind when evaluating patents.

“Patent Sales Rates Decreased in 2016, but Patent Market Remains Viable and Robust.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017), available here.

Apr 18 2017
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“2016 Patent Market Report: Patent Prices and Key Diligence Data.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017)

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In this publication from IPWatchdog the ROL Group team takes a look at what patent buyers and sellers should expect from the current market. We offer comprehensive pricing analysis to determine whether your estimations for patents are in the ballpark.

“2016 Patent Market Report: Patent Prices and Key Diligence Data.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017), available here.

Apr 13 2017
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“2016 Patent Market Report: Patent Brokers and Patent Packages.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017)

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2016 saw a significant rise in both the number of patent brokers and patent packages. Though the frequency of package sizes is similar to 2015, there is a remarkable increase in single-asset packages in 2016, and we continue to see a trend of the market favoring smaller packages due to their marketability. We explore this topic in Part 2 of our 6-Part series on our 2016 Patent Market Report.

“2016 Patent Market Report: Patent Brokers and Patent Packages.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017), available here.

Apr 10 2017
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“2016 Patent Market Report: Overview.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017)

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While 2016 may have seemed like a tough year for the patent market – with dropping sales, decreasing prices, and the effects of Alice continuing to take its toll on fintech – there are also many new opportunities emerging. Our 2016 Patent Market Report shows that despite these setbacks, the patent market continues to be robust.

“2016 Patent Market Report: Overview.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2017), available here.

Mar 01 2017
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“Stop Patent Troll Armageddon: Use Defensive Aggregators.” Richardson et. al. Landslide (March 2017)

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How do you respond to NPE threats and litigations, both anticipated and actual? One cost-effective strategy is the use of defensive aggregators. Here is our brief primer on using defensive aggregators and how they can stop patent trolls.

“Stop Patent Troll Armageddon: Use Defensive Aggregators.” Richardson et. al. Landslide (March 2017), available here.

Mar 01 2017
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“How and Why LinkedIn Learned to Love Patents.” Harrington et. al. IAM Magazine Issue 82 (March 2017)

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LinkedIn was a big brand name with a small patent portfolio – a combination that made it vulnerable to a patent attack. In 2012 the LinkedIn decided to do something about it. We work through the case study of how LinkedIn determined its vulnerabilities, set a patent development and patent buying program, and fundamentally changed its risk profile. We show how LinkedIn bought over 900 patents over four years.

“How and Why LinkedIn Learned to Love Patents.” Harrington et. al. IAM Magazine Issue 82 (March 2017), available here.

Jan 01 2017
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“Inside the 2016 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine Vol 81 (January 2017)

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In our continuing series of annual publications on the activity in the secondary patent market, we see that the only constant is change. Although asking prices have stabilized, sales are down, bringing the value of the market down to $165 million from $233 million last year. However, the launch of both IAM Market and the Industry Patent Purchase Program (IP3) has introduced new transaction opportunities. At the same time, the impact of negative patent decisions is becoming apparent as non-practicing entities (NPEs) pull back from the market. For the first time, purchases by corporations have exceeded NPE purchases. Even the biggest NPEs have been affected, with RPX succeeding Intellectual Ventures (IV) as the new buying leader. Further, the data shows that the US Supreme Court’s decision in Alice has crushed much of the nascent financial technology (fintech) patent market and affected software package sales rates. Finally, we received better litigation data this year, and it appears that the litigation risk from sold patents is much higher than previously reported – you may want to reconsider your risk models and membership of defensive aggregators.

“Inside the 2016 Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media Vol 81 (January 2017), available here.

Nov 17 2016
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“Alice Ruling Threw a Wrench in Tech Innovation, but Newly Issued Patent Offers Hope.” Richardson. Legaltech News (November 2016)

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After the Supreme Court’s Alice ruling, what new strategies do inventors need to obtain USPTO patent allowances? We examine how a new CardinalCommerce patent could lead the way forward. We make five recommendations for tech companies in post-Alice world.

“Alice Ruling Threw a Wrench in Tech Innovation, but Newly Issued Patent Offers Hope.” Richardson. Legaltech News (November 2016), available here.

Aug 31 2016
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“When Do Operating Companies Sell Their Patents?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2016)

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What causes operating companies to sell their patents? Our intuition tells us that patent sales take place when the seller is in financial distress or the company is underperforming. We wanted to test whether the data aligned with our intuition.

“When Do Operating Companies Sell Their Patents?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2016), available here.

Aug 31 2016
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“Finding the Best Patents – Comparative Patent Ranking Systems – Citations Still Matter.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2016)

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With an ever-increasing client interest in international patents, we wanted to explore how patent ranking for EP patents has been conducted and how those ranking systems can be integrated to allow comparison and ranking with US patents. Here are our findings.

“Finding the Best Patents – Comparative Patent Ranking Systems – Citations Still Matter.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (August 2016), available here.

May 01 2016
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“How Intellectual Ventures Is Streamlining Its Portfolio.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (May 2016)

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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.

“How Intellectual Ventures Is Streamlining Its Portfolio.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (May 2016), available here.

Apr 15 2016
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“The Yahoo Patent Portfolio: What Is the Market Price Today?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2016)

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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.

“The Yahoo Patent Portfolio: What Is the Market Price Today?” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (April 2016), available here.

Mar 31 2016
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“Finding the Best Patents – Forward Citation Analysis Still Wins.” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (March 2016)

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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. Here, we’ve identified five primary factors for consideration in patent ranking.

“Finding the Best Patents – Forward Citation Analysis Still Wins.” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (March 2016), available here.

Mar 31 2016
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“High Value Patents: Does Family Size Matter When Looking for Better Patents?” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (March 2016)

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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.

“High Value Patents: Does Family Size Matter When Looking for Better Patents?” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (March 2016), available here.

Feb 28 2016
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“Modeling the Value of a Strategic Patent Portfolio for High-Tech Companies.” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (February 2016)

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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? We present a method to tie your strategy to a firm business plan and calculate a return on your patent investment.

“Modeling the Value of a Strategic Patent Portfolio for High-Tech Companies.” Oliver et. al. IPWatchdog (February 2016), available here.

 

Feb 28 2016
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“The 2015 Brokered Patent Market: A Good Year to Be a Buyer.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (February 2016)

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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. Here is our report on the brokered patent market in 2015.

“The 2015 Brokered Patent Market: A Good Year to Be a Buyer.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (February 2016), available here.

 

Jan 31 2016
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“So, You Want to Buy Patents – 10 Best Practices in Corporate Patent Buying.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2016)

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By adopting a few best practices, you can design and execute a successful patent buying program for your company. The following is our list of the 10 best practices we’ve developed for patent buying.

“So, You Want to Buy Patents – 10 Best Practices in Corporate Patent Buying.” Richardson et. al. IPWatchdog (January 2016), available here.

 

Jan 01 2016
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“The Brokered Patent Market in 2015 – Driving Off a Cliff or Just a Detour.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2016)

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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. Here, we share our analysis of the brokered patent market in 2015.

“The Brokered Patent Market in 2015 – Driving Off a Cliff or Just a Detour.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2016), available here.

Jan 01 2015
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“The Brokered Patent Market in 2014.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2015)

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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? Continue reading for our detailed report on the brokered patent market in 2014.

“The Brokered Patent Market in 2014.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2015), available here.

Jan 01 2015
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“The Strategic Counter-Assertion Model for Patent Portfolio ROI.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (July 2015)

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IAM Magazine
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.

“The Strategic Counter-Assertion Model for Patent Portfolio ROI.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (July 2015), available here.

Jul 01 2014
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“What’s Inside IV’s Patent Portfolio.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (July 2014)

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IAM Media
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. Here are some of the questions we answered: what does IV buy, what characteristics does IV look for in a patent, what does IV do after the purchases, and who did IV buy from.

“What’s Inside IV’s Patent Portfolio?” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (July 2014), available here.

Jan 01 2014
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“The Brokered Patent Market in 2013.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2014)

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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.

“The Brokered Patent Market in 2013.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (January 2014), available here.

Jan 01 2013
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“Turning the Spotlight on the Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (January 2013)

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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. Here is our detailed report on the 2013 brokered patent market.

“Turning the Spotlight on the Brokered Patent Market.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (January 2013), available here.

Nov 01 2011
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“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)

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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 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), available here.

Jul 01 2009
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“The Non-Dilutive Cash Injection: Selling Your Patents.” Richardson et. al. WSGR Bulletin (July 2009)

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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 Non-Dilutive Cash Injection: Selling Your Patents.” Richardson et. al. WSGR Bulletin (July 2009), available here.

Mar 01 2009
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“The Patent Transactions Market at a Crossroads.” Richardson et. al. IAM Magazine (March 2009)

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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.

“The Patent Transactions Market at a Crossroads.” Richardson et. al. IAM Media (March 2009), available here.