Article Traces Rise of a Phone Patent over 11 Years and 4 Owners

From Mitsubishi to Apple, to an NPE and finally RPX, one IP asset, several objectives. It’s a hard-knock life for some patents, so says an insightful article appearing in the current IEEE Spectrum that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the road traveled by a single smart phone patent as it was sold and resold, mostly to […]

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Silicon Valley: Too Big to Fail, or Too Frightened Not To?

Am I seeing things or is the innovation capitol becoming less hospitable to really new ideas and strong patents? Are Silicon Valley’s guiding lights still willing to extend the welcome mat to entrepreneurs that provide potentially disruptive ideas and new business models? While it may have the ability to periodically re-invent itself, we should not […]

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Going Ape for Apps: Samsung is Gaga for U.S. Patents

No company has more Active U.S. patents than Samsung or files more applications. In fact, outside of IBM, Samsung leads all filers in U.S. patent applications by better than two to one. According to “The US Patent 100″ published by Patent Vest and MDB Capital in IAM, Samsung is the biggest current U.S. patent holder […]

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Obama Drinks the Kool-Aid on Weaker Patents, “Trolls”

The President’s confusion about innovation and what needs reform will likely undermine American competitiveness. In a recent Fireside Hangout on Google+ President Obama said that the U.S. needs to go much further on patent reform, singling out patent trolls, “who don’t actually produce anything themselves” and are “just trying to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s […]

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Public IP Cos (PIPCOs) – An Expanding Universe

IP-centric businesses whose shares trade on the public markets come in many shapes and sizes — some are better suited for return than others. Many of the most interesting IP-rich businesses, from an investor perspective, are publicly traded, thinly capitalized companies with experienced management. The best have a realistic view of their IP assets, usually patents, and the timing and cost of their disputes […]

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The NY Times Says Streaming Sticks it to Musicians

Royalties from so-called legitimate Internet streaming sites, including Pandora and Spotify, pay most musicians less than a penny on a dollar of revenue generated. In a page one article in today’s New York Times, “As Music Streaming Grows, Artists’ Royalties Slow to a Trickle,” the paper illustrates how cellist Zoe Keating received just $1,652.74 from Pandora […]

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Music Pirate Kim Dotcom Schmitz Launches a (Tired) Second Act

File sharing kingpin hopes to evade authorities by using complex encryption scheme. A year after being shut down for running Megaupload, an illegal music file sharing website, content pirate Kim Dotcom Schmitz (IP CloseUp, October 5) and IAM 56, “He’s No Robin Hood”) is back going live on Sunday January 20 with, Mega, a new effort to […]

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Selling Prices of NPE-Owned Assets Lag Despite High Quality

Some buyers prefer to pay a premium for a large but still vague patent portfolio than for a handful of proven rights. “So, sue me,” seems to be the attitude of operating companies when confronted with SME or NPE-held patents that may read on their products and command high potential damages awards or settlements. Strategic […]

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O Canada, Ontario Rocks When it Comes to Patent Holders, Advisors

Ottawa, Toronto and Waterloo together comprise a leading center for valuable patents and IP expertise. To most people Ontario conjures an image of ice hockey and maple leaves, not intangible assets. But the province bordering the U.S. on the north is among the most abundant areas globally for invention rights, strategists and investors. Among the […]

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Liquidation Value of Alcatel IP Rights is said to be $3.9B to $5.9B

Bernstein Research and WSJ say that the company’s patent value is up to three times greater than its current market cap A credible news source is reporting that the liquidation value of the patent portfolio and other IP rights of beleaguered telecommunication equipment company, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), is worth as much as $6B. Alcatel-Lucent, which […]

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IBM’s Huge Lead in Patents: Under the Microscope

Big Blue may be caught in its image as the perennial patents-received leader, for better or worse. Obtaining large numbers of patents is often more effective for large companies than securing a handful of really good ones. U.S. patent count leader IBM, which has boldly dominated patents-received for two decades, has made something of an art in […]

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Leading Brands Increasingly have the Most Valuable Patents

Patent portfolios associated with strong positive reputation appear to enjoy better performance, or so it seems. It is no coincidence that many of the world’s best known and most valuable brands have other IP traits in common: Their reputation for quality, innovation, and consistency not only facilitates product sales and shareholder interest, but to enhance the value of their patents, trade secrets […]

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