Originally published in LEGAL TIMES Friday May 18 |
2012
AOL's announcement that it has sold 800 patents to Microsoft
for more than $1 billion highlights just how valuable portfolios of
intellectual property can be.
By far the most significant recent transaction from a value
perspective is Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility
Holdings Inc for $12.5 billion, which was motivated on the basis of
Google's gaining access to Motorola's portfolio of
patents.
These examples of companies that have done significant value
transactions on intellectual property are by no means the norm. Our
experience is that many business development and commercial
executives have concluded transactions that have given away
intellectual- property assets, in the form of trade marks and
patents, at values substantially less than their full market value.
Alternatively, they have turned down transactions that could have
resulted in significant value for their companies, in that they
have
