2. Primary Options for Monetization
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Sale
Licensing
Enforcement
Collateralization
3. Sale of Patent
Pass ownership to another party. Assign all rights to
the other party.
May be part of a bigger business transaction
Joint development agreement
Merger / consolidation.
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4. Sale – Caveats and Advice (1)
Be careful who you sell your patents to, especially if
party is a competitor.
Consider getting a license under the patents for
sale.
You may be obligated to cooperate in their
enforcement activities.
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5. Sale – Caveats and Advice (2)
Consider PR implications.
Consider how loss of the sold patents affects your
overall patent portfolio.
May want to limit transferability of patents.
Consider tax consequences. Do you transfer to a
holding company?
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6. Sale - Auction
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How
Can be via organizations that specialize in auctions,
consulting firms or even law firms
Pricing
Consider setting a reserve price.
Understand likely value
- Get comparables
- Understand how much bidders are likely to pay
- Values vary greatly by industry, technology and
particular patent.
7. Sale - Auction
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Observations
Bidders may want to review file history, so make
available.
Bidders may want reps and warranties; Our advice is to
avoid if at all possible.
Bidders may have questions re. technology, products,
enforcement activities, so be prepared to answer.
Help create interest – identify potentially interested
parties.
8. Sale - Private Sale
One of the keys to success is identifying viable
targets
How do you determine viable targets?
Understand scope of patent
Identify companies that would benefit from owning patent
Identify companies involved in litigation where patent
could be valuable; Identify who infringes patent
Identify companies that are interested in growing their
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patent portfolio
Consider non-practicing entities (NPE's)
9. Sale – Private Sale
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Other Factors
Consider whether patents which are for sale are to be
publicized or not.
Consider press related issues.
10. Licensing
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Scale
Large scale – many targets. Like in a sale, you need to
identify targets.
Small scale – handful of companies.
Key Considerations
Any lump sum payments? How much?
- One strategy is low cost lump sum.
- Price below what legal costs, etc. would be to fight.
- Another strategy is a higher lump sum with royalties
Some discounted value of total damage exposure.
11. Licensing
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Royalties
Need to figure out rates
- Look to any industry examples;
- Varies dramatically among industries;
- Look up legal decisions on reasonable royalty;
- Keep tabs of whether abiding by terms of the agreement;
need an accounting per time period.
What products the royalty applies to and match with
scope of license
12. Licensing
Other Considerations
Duration.
Exclusivity.
Related patents.
Obligation.
Control.
Right to enforce.
Right to sublicense.
Termination.
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13. Licensing – Observations (1)
Can be very lucrative – e.g., IBM, Microsoft.
Demonstrates return on investment (ROI) while
keeping ownership of patents.
With large scale program
Need a team to lead effort;
Need to keep track of all candidates;
Need to set policies regarding ability to tailor terms and
policies to be used;
Need to be able to convincingly show why they should
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like a license;
14. Licensing – Observations (2)
You will need to have the threat of litigation to get
parties to sign up.
Be careful regarding declaratory judgment (DJ) motions.
Decide what patents you want to license.
Consider bundling patents.
Get knowledgeable before seeking to license a
Standard Essential Patent (SEP)
FRAND terms, risks.
Be persistent. Expect most candidates to ignore you.
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15. Enforcement
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File an action in
U.S. Federal District Court;
International Trade Commission (ITC) – prevent
importation.
Understand costs
$1 - $2 million a year for moderate cases.
Substantially more for large cases (tens of millions )
May get someone to handle on a contingency basis
- lay out percentages;
- lay out triggers;
- lay out control provisions.
16. Enforcement - Observations
Do your homework on infringement before filing suit
Understand risks
- Invalidation of patents
- Counterclaims
- Duration of operation
Be prepared to settle case.
Your choice of counsel is critical to your result.
May take years to see money, but verdict can be
substantial.
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17. Collateralization
Use patents as collateral to secure financing.
Valuable business assets.
Make sure it is worth risking the patents.
Understand your obligation to maintain patents until
obligation is satisfied.
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18. Info
Lewis Lee
Patent Attorney @ Nelson Mullins
lewis.lee@nelsonmullins.com
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