Sep 29, 2009
President Obama named Victoria A. Espinel the first IP czar, charged with the responsibility of enforcing the nation's intellectual property laws. The position is a product of the ProIP Act, signed into legislation last year. Ms. Espinel has served as an advisor on intellectual property issues to the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee.
More on the appointment and Victoria A. Espinel HERE. Read More
Sep 25, 2009
An interesting piece by Jackie Hutter over at the IP Asset Maximizer Blog uses some narrow empirical data offered by Marcus Malek of the Intangitopia Blog to dispell the notion that intellectual property auctions have provided any benefits for individual inventors or patent holders. The piece was written in response to this NY Times article by Steve Lohr, which claims that "patent auctions offer protections to inventors." Ms. Hutter "wonder[s] if the fact-checkers took a break when this article was presented for publication," adding that ... Read More
Sep 24, 2009
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today announced a partnership with the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) and the International Federation of Actors (FIA) to improve recognition and treatment of musicians and actors internationally. Specifically, the agreement seeks to address the recognition of these workers' rights in developing countries, and especially with regard to their intellectual property rights. From a WIPO press release today:
The agreement highlights the connection between IP and labor and the special concerns of cultural workers from the viewpoint ... Read More
Sep 23, 2009
This post will be a break from the usual report or opinion regarding the IP market. I have encountered a rarely used but potentially case-changing doctrine in trademark law with a lot of bite - should it ever be adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court, or codified. I thought the issue could use some exposure. This piece will read a little bit more like a law review article (I apologize), but bear with me - this is important and interesting stuff!
Fair ... Read More
Sep 14, 2009
The Global Competitiveness Report from the World Economic Forum has published a ranking of countries for strength of intellectual property laws. The latest report, which is put together after a study of numerous world economic indicators, identifies Singapore as the country with the strongest intellectual property laws, while the United States is ranked 19th. For the rest of the list, see HERE. For analysis on the gaps in proof stemming from this survey, see Joff's comments HERE over at the IAM blog. Read More
Sep 9, 2009
Back in June, Intellectual Asset Management Magazine first published the IAM 250, which I posted to IP Prospective with some color. As a refresher, the IAM 250 is "[a] public, searchable directory of those individuals who offer world-class services relating to the development and implementation of strategies which enable IP owners to maximise the value of their rights portfolios." It is, as advertised, a listing of the world's leading IP strategists.
Jordan Hatcher over at the Tangible IP blog has put together a ... Read More
Sep 8, 2009
It happened to the music industry. The business model was ripe for reform, but the industry players didn't want to change. So, the radicals changed it anyways, going digital and online, and the players still won't let go.
The book publishing industry held on as long as they could, but digitization and online access is here. Google is the radical in this case. The issue is the same as it was/is in music: the industry is using copyrights and copyright holders as its ... Read More
Sep 1, 2009
You've heard the news. Disney is paying $4 Billion for Marvel's intellectual property portfolio, including 5,000 characters, but the deal will leave a few licensing deals for movies and toys in place without substitution. According to the the NY Times, "[t]he deal was valued at about $50 a share, a 29 percent premium. On Monday, Marvel shares shot up 25 percent to $48.37." Some believe the premium paid for the IP is too much. Nevertheless, there may be implications on the wider M&A market ... Read More
Ian McClure is a former corporate & securities and intellectual property law attorney with 
Trevor M. Blum is a former Associate in the Chicago-based, valuation practice group of Ocean Tomo, LLC., an intellectual property (IP) consultancy. Additionally, he provided instrumental research support to Intellectual Property Exchange International, Inc., an IP exchange start-up. Trevor holds a B.S. from Indiana University and is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Cambridge, focusing on international business and finance. His interests also include entrepreneurship, economics, and informational visualization. He enjoys running and cycling in his free time. Trevor seeks to bring a transnational business perspective to the blog. 