Publications

Reproduced with permission from BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 88 PTCJ 498, 6/13/14. Copyright ©2014 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.

More frequently than ever before company executives, company inhouse counsel, as well as outside counsel are asking: What is a patent or patent portfolio worth? Recent years have seen the development of a patent marketplace with a growing array of monetization options. We addressed a number of these monetization techniques in our earlier article regarding patent monetization from a lawyer’s perspective.¹

Patent transactions are now widely reported in the press, including transactions with billion dollar price tags. This has caused many companies to focus more on the question of valuation of their patent and other intellectual property assets to make sure they are not missing the opportunity offered by today’s more robust patent marketplace.

This article discusses the basic task of valuation from a lawyer’s perspective. That is, what do lawyers need to know in order to help their clients answer the often challenging question of “what are our patents worth?” For the executive, this article provides a useful overview of patent valuation issues.
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¹See http://www.globallawwatch.com/2012/11/monetization-of-a-firms-patent-rights-a-lawyers-perspective/ (85 PTCJ 22, 11/2/12).