A Good News Story from an Unexpected Source

Here at IAM-Media is an example of using patents to secure products in a global market.
Its full strategic management of its 200 patents included creating barriers to entry  and to transform the antenna industry.  This approach does not take place overnight, more than a decade.  The company began initially with patent protected product sales which was quite successful.  Well into the market adoption,  Fractus concluded that licensing for royalties was the best option for the future.  It resulted in over $100m in royalties.

Fractus also dealt with infringements by major companies and had to be helped by the Spanish courts.  Overall, a good news story about the patent commercialization success of a small company.

ARM Takes Its Chip Business Beyond Phones - WSJ

ARM Takes Its Chip Business Beyond Phones - WSJ:
ARM Holdings, $ARMH, is one of the great intellectual property engines of our time. They make the chips used in cell phones and other computing devices. Or, stated more accurately, they invent the chips, and then license out the manufacturing, sales and distribution of them.
One thing that has made them such a dominant force is low power use technologies, exactly the kinds of things you need for mobile technologies.
When you look at the financials of ARMH, don't be deceived and compare them directly with a company like Intel or AMD. ARM has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 60 to 70; Intel has a PE of only 14 to 16. Intel has the $ billion factories. ARM has only the development labs for inventing stuff.
And, speaking of stuff; ARM is now setting their sights on the-internet-of-stuff. Billions of new items will be connected to the internet each year. Appliances, pet monitors, and more...
Let's see how that evolves.
In the mean time, keep your eyes on this company that utilizes IP better than pretty much any other. It gets is reviews in the form of royalty payments wired to the bank. Nearly pure profit.
It's a beautiful thing.
'via Blog this'

Intellectual Ventures: Patent Troll plans to Start actually making things, not breaking things.

Intellectual Ventures: Patent Troll Funds Startups, New Products - Businessweek:

The worlds largest patent troll, apparently, has decided to go legit. Kinda.

This company, aptly abbreviated IV as in a vampire draining blood, is the largest holder of patents with some 70,000. More than IBM with more than 20 years as the world's largest patenting company, by far.

With such a war chest of patents, it is hard for anyone to make anything that doesn't violate their patents. This is especially the case if you don't actually make anything, as a perfect troll would do.

So IV has been drawing blood for the economy on a rather endless basis. But, if you pay the blood money for a few of their patents, you get "protection" where nobody else can mess with you without having to fight the entire war chest of IV.

It seems like the perfect business model based on pirates and Somalian entrepreneurs.

So why break such a tried and proven business model?

I think on the tax returns, where you put our line of business, entering "Patent Troll" is likely no problem for the IRS. They will take the taxes on those profits just the same as for the companies that actually produced a product.

We have a few ideas why the patent troll would change his stripes, but we would like to hear what others have to offer?

'via Blog this'

Courthouse News: Marvell at this. $1.17B x 3 is almost Comic!

Courthouse News Service:

A chip maker, Marvel Technology Group, just lost a $1.17B law suit for stealing the technology of Carnegie Mellon University.

One has to marvel at this company's antics, a company that trades by the symbol MRVL, and should in no way be confused with the comic company, although its antics carry both intrigue and humor.

You might call them the Chip Pirates of the Caribbean given their off-short headquarters in Bermuda. Their not chip makers, they are chip takers. [Insert poker chip puns here.]

The settlement as to the $1.17B law suit is still to be determine. Because of the willful and continued infringement, MRVL is subject to treble damages of $3.51B. (Half of the current market cap.) Plus they now are required to license the technology that they "borrowed" for so many years at a whopping $.50 per $2 chip sold which will chip away at the profits. The royalty payments are probably 25% of the company's profits.

I like that MRVL's own chips -- in infringed chips -- were the but of jokes internally. Because you wouldn't want to use them in any electronic devise, the next best use for them is as "coffee warmers"!:-)

Even though there have been penalties and sanctions by the SEC, these rouge execs are still in power and still making big salaries.

However, shareholders have taken up a class law suit against the execs Satardja and Dai, attesting: "damages for breach of fiduciary duty, failure to maintain adequate controls, and unjust enrichment and breach of duty of honest services"

This is the story line from crime-fighting comic books. One has to marvel at it!

'via Blog this'