Apr 30, 2009
I have been waiting for this sort of collaborative venture. According to a recent article on FindLaw, international law firm, Morrison & Foerster LLP, has entered into a collaboration with Northern California-based Ovidian Group, LLC, an IP asset management firm, to offer the kind of corporate IP management and consulting services that blend both law and business strategy. This has been coming. Clients are now demanding these sort of strategic consulting services that combine intellectual property and corporate management expertise with knowledge ... Read More
Apr 21, 2009
The newest Intellectual Asset Management Magazine (IAM) revisits what is probably the most important, and most troubling, issue pervading the IP market today: Intellectual property valuation. I have visited the topic in a number of posts, and this trend probably won't stop anytime soon. The IAM article is another step in the right direction, authored by Pat Sullivan, who has taken the reigns on the conversation of standard setting in IP valuation.
While I encourage everyone to find this issue of IAM, if not every issue, I understand it ... 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
Apr 2, 2009
When Marty Pichinson spoke at last week's Ocean Tomo conference in San Francisco on the topic of monetizing IP in distressed markets, I knew I wanted to feature his company next. The man exudes the combination of IP market knowledge and personable confidence that can win over a crowded conference room, as well as a potential IP buyer. Marty is the Co-Managing Director at Sherwood Partners LLC, which is a full service business consulting firm that deals in many markets besides just the IP ... 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 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 9, 2009
Big news from the pharmaceutical industry today, as U.S. pharm giant, Merck, plans to buy internationally strong Schering-Plough for $41 billion. This deal comes on the heels of the Pfizer/Wyeth deal, and proves yet again that a patent portfolio must continue to reinvent itself or else drastic actions must be taken. Merck was facing patent expirations on many of its largest profit-making drugs in the next 3-7 years. Schering-Plough apparently doesn't have the same exposure to patent phase-outs, and its sales are ... 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 5, 2009
A press release on Monday from Ocean Tomo announced a restructuring at its firm, most notably with the auction business. Andrew Ramer, former President of OT's auction business, seems to have been replaced by Dr. Dipanjan Nag and Michael Anglin. Dipanjan Nag previously developed the firm's patent bid/ask practice, and is touted to have significant experience in bio-pharm and life sciences. Anglin was previously the firm's Chief Operations Officer and has an accounting background; he will head the auction business going forward.
The ... 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. 