Apr 15, 2009
Despite the importance of intellectual property, and its protection and efficient management by the corporate world (and all IP owners), mass media seems to forget about it, or at least misunderstand it. The blame should probably not lie on the mass media, however. Instead, it is probably the fault of IP professionals, including myself, who do not educate these people on the critical effect proper protection and management of IP has on business success.
In the past week, the topic of IP in ... Read More
Apr 9, 2009
As individuals and small businesses look to secure funding during a credit freeze, finance innovation has led to a jump in IP-based funding. In 1997, David Bowie opened eyes when he issued asset-backed bonds on the basis of future royalties, raising over $55 million. This year, Annie Leibovitz, the famed photographer for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, secured $16 million in loans by pledging her life's work of copyrights. The practice is not exclusively available for stars, however, as companies are turning ... Read More
Mar 31, 2009
I returned from the Ocean Tomo Spring 2009 Conference and Auction in San Francisco with a head full of questions about the status of the market. The market continues to grow, and that is a fact evidenced by the number of professionals and market participants that attended the conference. Nevermind the dismal auction results, which will be the subject of another post, the conference itself and the overall optimistic and enthusiastic mood of discussion that buzzed through the rooms and halls of ... Read More
Mar 24, 2009
As a corporate law practitioner, an interesting IP question that pops up with more regularity is whether and under what circumstances a director of a corporation may be held personally liable for mismanagement of intellectual property. This question is usually not posed with reference to conflict of interest possibilities, but instead with regard to the duty of care and its implications on maintaining complete information and making sound decisions with regard to that IP. Of course, many board members don't completely understand the ins ... Read More
Mar 24, 2009
I will be in San Francisco this week for the kick-off of the IP Markets 2009 series (lets hope its a series) and the live IP auction hosted by Ocean Tomo. Let me know if you will be in SF this Thursday or Friday and would like to meet.
Rumors have been flying about the economy's negative effect on sale prices for the IP in this auction's catalog, and on IP value in general. This event will be a great indicator of the economic ... Read More
Mar 18, 2009
A few months ago a post on Joff Wild's IAM blog sparked a great debate about the valuation of IP, the difference in valuation contexts, and the viability of a practical approach. Jumping into the discussion late, Michael Martin of Broken Symmetry posted a "final word" comment on Wild's post and on Broken Symmetry. A few of his words moved me to revisit the IP valuation discussion on IP Prospective with a few of the standard-setting initiatives that have commenced, old and new.
One of ... Read More
Mar 11, 2009
March 26-27 - Ocean Tomo commences its IP Markets 2009 campaign with their Spring IP Auction at the Ritz in San Francisco. This auction is important for Ocean Tomo, as they have recently undergone a restructuring, and rumor has it that their Summer and Fall auctions could be postponed due to the economic climate and its possible impact on pricing. The conference begeins on Thursday, with three panel tracks covering IP in M&A, Buying & Selling IP, and Greentech IP and Investing. ... Read More
Mar 6, 2009
In a letter sent to President Obama this week from the Licensing Executives Society (LES), the new administration was asked to consider three initiatives to improve the marketplace for intellectual property. According to the LES press release "[t]he United States must do more to help innovative ideas and products reach the marketplace," and there needs to be new measures taken so that technology transfer and the commercialization of intellectual property is made easier and more efficient. Three specific initiatives were set forth ... Read More
Mar 3, 2009
In what has been touted as a sequel to TARP, the Fed and Treasury launched the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) today to try and shore up small business loans. In short, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will lend up to $200 Billion to eligible owners of eligible collateral that seek funding. I emphasize "eligible" because the money only applies to entities that own certain asset-backed securities that are of the highest grade of investment. In other words, loans will ... Read More
Feb 27, 2009
There is a discreet lending market in New York and few places beyond that trades cash for copyrights until the cash is returned with interest. To play in this field might actually be less of a risk than banks lending on collateralized real estate, based on the fluctuation of real estate values. Certain and valuable copyrights hold their value quite nicely, even in a recession.
A recent story in the New York Times (which also reached a few IP blogs such as IPKat) disclosed ... Read More