Gametime IP
Nortel
Patent Plays In Focus At Seeking Alpha: InterDigital, Nokia, Augme And Others
Some readers may already have noticed a recent series of articles posted to the investor-focused website Seeking Alpha focusing on companies that either currently, formerly, or prospectively will, derive most of their revenue from patent monetization. (In fact, the first series of articles includes at least one of each.) These so-called “patent plays” form an … Continue reading
(Patent) Party Like A Rockstar
Operating under the name Rockstar Bidco, a consortium of tech companies including significant financing from Microsoft, Apple and Research In Motion, outbid then patent-deficient Google for the LTE-essential rich patent trove auctioned away by the now bankrupt Nortel’s creditors. While the creditors made off with $4.5 billion, Rockstar staffed up with former Nortel patent attorneys … Continue reading
Return of The Privateer: Did Microsoft & Samsung Finance Acacia’s Recent Patent Splurge?
Acacia recently pulled of a mammoth purchase–$160 MM for 4G technology company ADAPTIX and it’s portfolio of 30+ confirmed US assets (in the form of issued patents) and numerous other potential assets (in the form of pending applications). By the numbers, this is a several-million dollar per patent purchase, rivaling the recent Nortel auction in … Continue reading
Return Of The Bubble: Patent Sellers Put Acacia Back On Their Christmas Card List
When patent aggregator RPX debuted with more than a billion dollar valuation, they warned us a bubble was coming. When Rockstar Bidco paid $4.5 B to acquire an aging Nortel portfolio, and Google paid $12 B just to (allegedly) gut a company’s patents, they told us there was no bubble. Then, on January 13, 2012, … Continue reading
Google-IBM Patent Deal: Business As Usual?
Google’s been on an IP shopping spree lately, snatching up large swaths of patents at a time. One of the more notable transactions is an apparent deal with IBM that was at least partially inked back in March, and continues to make headlines almost a year later. (FOSS Patents blogger Florian Mueller indicated that the … Continue reading
RPX’s View Of ‘Rational’ Patent Pricing
RPX published its third quarter results earlier this month, and provided a sneak-peak look into its patent pricing model. Specifically, CEO John Amester reiterated his statement from the second quarter press conference that a patent pricing ‘bubble’ has yet to materialize, despite above market bids for portfolios like Nortel. In fact, Amester specifically commented that the … Continue reading
Patent Licensing Is The Answer, But What Is The Question?
If mainstream media reports the pulse of its readership, then the average American is terrified by the idea of patent licensing. Of course, they don’t report it this way, but they do talk about scary mystical creatures waiting to jump out and hold entrepreneurs for ransom, using the legal system as their gun. Even the … Continue reading
RPX Issues Second Quarter Results And Comments On The ‘Patent Bubble’
Patent aggregator RPX’s second quarter results showed $38.8 MM in revenue and total equity increasing to $250 MM. According to its earnings forecast, RPX expects to see about $150 MM in total revenue this year. RPX also commented on the Nortel auction and the effects of any reported “patent bubble.” Continue reading
How Do The Nortel Patent Auction Numbers Measure Up? A Look At Comparable IP Monetization Efforts
A lot of numbers are being thrown around in reaction to the Nortel auction, but the one that seems to be the most interesting is $750,000 per patent. Arriving at this number includes entertaining the belief that $4.5 Billion was spent to acquire 6000 assets. However, as I previously observed, look at patents currently in … Continue reading
Nortel Auction Update — Microsoft Says, ‘Hey Google! How Do You Like These Apples?’
First of all, don’t weep for the Google-lemming as it plunges into the Nortel patent canyon … the $25 M break-up fee should cushion its fall. By now you may have heard that mystery bidder Rockstar Bidco emerged victorious from the Nortel auction, acquiring the full kit & caboodle for a mere $4.5 Billion (with … Continue reading
