Posts Tagged: "Acacia"

At the very beginning of the program Siegel, during his opening remarks, said: “At Acacia we are not in the litigation business, we are in the licensing business.” I know that many will shrug or laugh at the comment, but from what I know about Acacia if you care to dig underneath the surface and listen past the sound byte it is true. Siegel explained that there are real costs and real risks associated with litigation, so doing business together and licensing is always a preferable strategy. Of course, Siegel pointed out that there is still a reluctance by many entities to pay for intellectual property. Siegel is exactly correct. There are many companies, large companies who themselves are owners of very large patent portfolios, who are reluctant to pay for intellectual property rights even though they infringe. Somewhere along the way it seems that the narrative got away from the innovator and has been turned on its head.

Siegel: “I think this effort to destroy the value of intellectual property is a bigger wet towel on innovation. When startup companies, after they get their angel investing, go out to try and raise funds on round Bs and round Cs, one of the things that investors look at is whether or not that company has an innovation that is different and protectable so that the investors know that number one there is something in there that’s protectable so that they can protect their investment. And when companies, small companies that make the investment into intellectual property portfolio development it sends a signal, two signals. It sends a signal that, number one, they’re progressive enough and smart enough to think about protecting their innovation. And, number two, it provides collateral for the investments that the investors are making into the company. So if the company were to not be successful in its business, they would have this asset of an IP portfolio sitting there that could still be sold or otherwise monetized to help the investors recoup their investments.”

Pitney Bowes and IBM to Collaborate on Hybrid Cloud Location Services ***** Patent Lawsuits Filed Over 3D Cinema Projection Technology ***** Microsoft and Dell Sign Patent Licensing Agreement ***** Tessera Technologies Ends Litigation Against Qualcomm ***** More Patents Tossed from Remote Control Patent Dispute

Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTG) announced on Friday, July 5, 2013, that its Board of Directors appointed Matthew Vella, Acacia’s current President, as Chief Executive Officer and a Director effective August 1, 2013. At this important moment when the patent rights pendulum has swung Vella takes over. He will have his hands full as he steps into the spotlight as the public face of Acacia. There is growing animosity toward non-practising entities and numerous legislative attempts underway to benefit big business at the expense of universities, individual inventors, research and development companies and those who acquire rights. His task will not be an easy one. As a publicly traded company Acacia’s information is there for all to see, making them an easy target.