Valuation of IP Portfolio
There are many important events in a company’s life when it needs to understand the value of its intellectual property. Some of the key events requiring this valuation are:
- to obtain financing for a company
- to license intellectual property to a third party
- to sell the company or its intellectual asset
- to acquire a company or its intellectual assets
Altera Law Group is uniquely situated to help you understand the value of intellectual property. We assess your portfolio from multiple perspectives: first, from the patent prosecution perspective, with an average of more than 15 years experience, our patent prosecution attorneys scour a file history for potential holes or problems, including potential prior art, for any issues that can impact its value; second, from the litigation perspective to assess the nature and type of dispute issues that can create problems in litigation and erode or enhance its value.
We find that many companies have created a patent portfolio, but don’t know how to value it. We can help. We can give a fresh look at your portfolio, and do so for a very reasonable cost. Then we will give you our opinion about the strengths, weaknesses, and value of one of your most critical assets – your intellectual property.
Patents
Patents that cover new or pioneering areas of technology can be priceless. However, there comes a point when a value must be assigned to a patent. A patent’s value depends on a variety of factors. While a patent attorney can assist with valuation, the process needs strategic partnering with input from business personnel to arrive at a reasonable business value. Demand for a patented feature, product, or process where there are no reliable substitutes is an important factor. The extent to which a person can design around a patent, and retain substantial benefits is another factor. Valuing patents necessarily involves several factors such as: an analysis of the patent file history, a review of how crowded the prior art is in the field, the frequency with which third parties have entered into a licensing agreement, industry licensing rates, and how well the patent has withstood litigation or reexamination proceedings. A patent value can depend on its intended use such as a competitive advantage in a market, defensive use by purchasing the asset to avoid patent litigation, or offensive use against competitors to protect a market. Altera Law Group’s attorneys work with you to define these factors and understand the value of your intellectual property.
Trademarks
Not all trademarks and service marks are created equal. When it comes time to license your marks, sell a division of your business, acquire a new division or merge with another business venture, the value of your trademarks will be squarely in the limelight of those negotiations. Altera’s experience in all venues of intellectual property uniquely positions us to properly predict and negotiate for the value of your trademarks that are fair and competitive. As with the other intangible forms of intellectual property such as patent and copyrights, trying to put a dollar value on a trademark can be a difficult task. Altera is dedicated to investing itself in your business by partnering with clients to learn the relevant industry, competitive landscape, and product/service life cycles to place the right value on the right marks at the right time.