IAM has just published the findings of its 2017 benchmarking survey. According to the results, the patent market remains at a low ebb – but IP professionals are beginning to see the emergence of green shoots.
Japanese corporates have historically eschewed patent monetisation; a deep-seated ‘not invented here’ syndrome and a fear of feeding ‘trolls’, combining to negate most motivations for selling IP assets.
But attitudes change – particularly when the economic going is tougher than ever.
Defensive patent aggregator Allied Security Trust (AST) is relaunching its Industry Patent Purchase Promotion (IP3) after the success of the scheme’s inaugural run last year. For 2017, however, the programme will be managed slightly differently in order to better cater to AST’s members and enhance opportunities for prospective vendors to get involved.
WiLAN announced last week that it will shift from being a patent pure play to become a diversified holding company, enabling it to invest in businesses beyond IP monetisation. While the Canadian NPE is not exiting the scene altogether, its move represents another blow for the secondary market after Intellectual Ventures (IV) confirmed the cessation of its patent buying activities earlier this month.
Intellectual Ventures (IV) has confirmed to IAM Magazine that it is winding down acquisitions for its most recently established patent aggregation fund. The impending exit of the patent market’s top buyer could have a significant impact on pricing and deal flow in the wider marketplace.
The secondary market in patents hit its lowest value in years over the course of 2016, though it remained robust with operating companies emerging as the keenest buyers, according to research from California-based IP strategy and law firm ROL Group.
IAM Market has just welcomed two of the world’s biggest high-tech players to its patent and technology transactions portal.
The latest rights holders to join the platform are Microsoft and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, bringing the total number of IAM Market vendors to 22. Both are major patent owners, with significant global portfolios and extensive experience in monetising IP assets.
Patent aggregation and investment firm Intellectual Ventures (IV) has been through its fair share of ups and downs over the past few years. It has begun to edge closer to positive returns for its shareholders, has successfully spun out a number of businesses and has entered into a number of forward-looking industry partnerships.