The Audit And Valuation Of IP Rights

Article By Philippe Péters and Pierre-Yves Thoumsin

Originally published in Brussels To The Point e-Newsletter – June 2011

No one can deny that intellectual property is a valuable asset. However, businesses consistently tend to underestimate the value of their intellectual property (IP) and often have an unclear view of the content of their IP portfolio.

An IP audit is an efficient and effective way of helping businesses improve the management of, and more accurately value, their IP rights.

Below we have listed some key issues to keep in mind when auditing a company's IP portfolio. These comments apply mainly to "classic" intellectual assets. However, other valuable intangible assets (such as know-how, brands and goodwill) should not be overlooked.