Several attorneys associated with patent monetization firm IP Edge are being referred to their state disciplinary bars, the Texas Supreme Court’s Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Department of Justice for their conduct in directing several individuals, including a fried chicken restaurant owner and a surgical assistant, to undertake liabilities associated with patent litigation in U.S. district court without disclosing the interests of IP Edge, which stood to gain 90% of the gross recovery from the asserted patents.
During day one of IPWatchdog LIVE in Dallas, Texas, a panel of speakers discussing current trends and the prospects of patent monetization going forward noted that the “heyday” of patent monetization was approximately ten years ago, with several large patent awards increasing interest in patent monetization. The panelists noted two major factors which presently act as a “glass ceiling” over patent valuations. First, the inter partes review (IPR) proceedings instituted at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2012 as part of the America Invents Act (AIA) has made investment in patents a riskier proposition.
Are you bullish or bearish on the patent market as we close out 2022 and move into Q1 of 2023? That is the question I recently asked a distinguished panel of intellectual property business leaders and monetization experts. For the most part, those industry insiders who responded are bullish, although several distinguish patents and the licensing of technology and innovation. Indeed, if I were to answer my own question, I would say that given the Supreme Court’s refusal to address the obvious errors of the Federal Circuit relative to patent eligibility it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to be anything other than bearish on patents as a meaningful asset class — or at least an asset class that will compensate innovators and investors for the full measure of their contributions.
On the penultimate day of IPWatchdog’s CON2020, a session titled “The Future of Monetization” featured a panel of experts discussing how the changing patent policy landscape in the United States continues to alter business models and monetization strategies for associated patents worldwide. The panelists discussed what the future of patent monetization looks like and factors influencing expectations of success. Gene Quinn
, President & CEO of IPWatchdog, Inc., asked each panelist their viewpoint on whether monetization of patents is getting better, worse, or staying the same. Daniel Papst, Managing Director and Co-Owner of Papst Licensing GmbH & Co., said that he is hopeful things will become better in the future. “The most dire times are behind us; it looks like the market is filled with more liquidity. There have always been portfolios out there that appear to be worth monetizing, and the courts, especially in the U.S., seem to be getting a little more rational again.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and widespread shelter-in-place orders have hit every corner of the country’s economy, including tech companies of all sizes. Many tech companies have traditionally maintained large patent portfolios to enhance company value and for defensive reasons—i.e. to dissuade competitors from filing suit. But monetizing these dormant patent assets—which can cost a great deal to simply maintain—may provide a solution during these difficult economic times. We of course do not recommend asserting any IP right that could hinder a coronavirus cure or treatment. But for companies with large patent portfolios in computer, server, software, and other hardware-related technology, the economic times may be right to monetize those assets, and luckily, the law is trending in favor of patent holders both in district courts and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).