Mar 2, 2009
A first-mover and current trend-setter in the intellectual property management and valuation fields, Ocean Tomo is changing the way the world looks at IP. First started in 1987 as a firm that provided IP valuation opinions, Ocean Tomo is now the nation's first intellectual capital merchant banc with a large bag of services. The company provides expert testimony services, IP valuation services, IP investment services, as well as general counsel and assistance related to any IP transactions. However, none of these, in my ... Read More
Feb 26, 2009
The article was published a couple weeks ago, and although short and sweet, it is a good reminder about the much-anticipated Intellectual Property Exchange International (IPXI), which is slated to open its trading floors later this year. In the article, IPXI CEO David Silverman reminds us why we are so anxious for transparency in the IP market:
"Intellectual property is not a transparent marketplace. . . [c]ompanies spend billions on research and development and some of these innovations have the potential to be ... Read More
Jan 27, 2009
At one time, it was believed that at least 70% of all corporate value was in a corporation's intangible assets. This percentage, while probably assuming too much for many companies, and also too little for others, has been agreed upon by numerous IP professionals. Apparently, the "average" is stumbled upon by subtracting a corporation's tangible assets from its market capitalization, the remaining assets presumably being IP. It is true that tangible assets have made up less and less of a corporation's market ... Read More
Jan 25, 2009
I might be stretching it a bit to call it a stock market (this early), but developments are on the horizon to push IP in that direction.
The success of public auction events such as the Ocean Tomo auctions has sparked a new concept that will continue the trend toward liquidity of IP value. The Intellectual Property Exchange International (IPXI), of which Ocean Tomo is the founder and majority owner, is "the world's first financial exchange with an intellectual property focus." With its ... Read More
Jan 19, 2009
Transparency, or the lack thereof, has caused hopeful transactors in the IP market more frustration than Terrell Owens has caused General Managers in the NFL. The sell-side has never had a platform on which to market their rights to all potential buyers, and the buy-side has never had a platform on which complete information is disclosed. This is partly (and to some, wholly) due to the inherent character of intellectual property and its valuation.
The phenomenon of IP Auctions, however, has the potential ... Read More
Jan 16, 2009
Good information on IP, IP management, and IP investing is surprisingly hard to find. MBA and Law school courses cover most issues dealing with IP recognition, litigation, and protection, but few deal squarely with the issue of IP management and the burgeoning investment market focusing on intellectual property.
When it comes to this niche field, there is one firm that is leading the charge. Based out of Chicago, Ocean Tomo, a self-proclaimed Intellectual Capital Merchant Banc® firm is at the frontier of corporate ... Read More
Jan 14, 2009
Currently, with the number of companies jumping under the Chapter 11 umbrella, one has to ask where all of the IP is going? Maybe even more importantly, it is very apparent that some small to mid-cap companies are selling their ever-so-important patents just to stay afloat. (For further reading on this topic, there is a great post on IP Finance today titled "Has the Great Patent Fire-Sale Started?", which recognizes this trend and ponders what this will mean for the respective patent markets). A ... 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. 