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ARTICLE · 11 NOVEMBER 2021

Unicorn Patents

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP
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Everyone is talking about unicorn companies—a very rare breed of private company with a valuation of at least a billion dollars.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Gerson Panitch
Gerson Panitch
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Everyone is talking about unicorn companies-a very rare breed of private company with a valuation of at least a billion dollars. Venture capitalist Aileen Lee coined the term "unicorn" in 2013, because just like the mythical creature, the statistical chances of finding such high value in a private company are quite low. Even today, with approximately 90 million companies in the top 10 jurisdictions worldwide, only 600 companies are unicorns. 

As with companies, patent portfolios can also be unicorns. A unicorn patent portfolio is a group of patents, strategically crafted to block competitors from entering a market segment.  There are three types of patents. 

Low Value Patents- Non-strategic patents that competitors can easily circumvent.

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