HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
assets such as
patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
are the core of many organizations and transactions related to technology. Licenses and assignments of intellectual property rights are common operations in the technology markets, as well as the use of these types of
assets In financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value of ownership that can ...
as loan security. These uses give rise to the growing importance of financial valuation of intellectual property, since knowing the
economic value In economics, economic value is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent. It is generally measured through units of currency, and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of money a speci ...
of patents is a critical factor in order to define their trading conditions.


Cases of application

Valuation of
patent rights A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
is one of the main activities related to intellectual property management within an organization or company. Indeed, knowing the economic value and importance of the intellectual property rights assists in the strategic decisions to be taken on the company's assets, but also facilitates the
commercialization Commercialization or commercialisation is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into ...
and transactions concerning intellectual property rights. There are several business situations where valuation is required:


Valuation of a company for the purposes of a merger, acquisition, joint venture or bankruptcy

Most of the technological companies are highly based on
intangible assets An intangible asset is an asset that lacks physical substance. Examples are patents, copyright, franchises, goodwill, trademarks, and trade names, as well as software. This is in contrast to physical assets (machinery, buildings, etc.) and finan ...
and investment in knowledge, research and innovation. According to studies, expenditures on knowledge, through investments in R&D or software, have grown at a higher rate than expenditures in tangible assets. This change in investments has consequently been reflected by a heavy importance of intangible assets and patents in companies. Therefore, to know the value of companies it is essential to know the value of their intellectual property.


Negotiations to sell or license intellectual property rights

As in other business transactions, organizations negotiating agreements to sell or license intellectual property and patent rights commonly have to agree on a price. Knowing the value of the intellectual property rights is essential to reach such an agreement, but also to make sure the parties are engaging in a good deal.


Support in situations of patent conflict or dispute

In scenarios of patent conflict, such as
patent infringement Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may v ...
proceedings or alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, quantification of damages is often a necessary step of the process. The correct valuation of the intellectual property right at stake is therefore essential to guarantee a fair recovery of the damages.


Fund raising through bank loans or venture capital

Valuation of the intellectual property to be used as security for bank loans or to attract
venture capital Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which h ...
and investors is essential. Several studies reveal that, in particular, owning patents and a proper intellectual property management play a crucial role in the decision of venture capitalists.


Assisting internal decision making for patent protection strategies

Valuation also plays a role on decisions concerning the patenting strategies and country selection for registration of intellectual property rights, or can assist organizations to identify weaknesses such as ownership uncertainties that have an impact in the value of the intellectual property rights and on decisions for the exploitation of such assets.


For accounting and taxation purposes

Organizations are required to report on their assets, including their intangible assets. Valuation is therefore a necessary step, as well as in situations of tax planning involving intellectual property. Defining the objectives and context of the valuation is essential, since it determines the strategy as well as the type of valuation method that should be used. This is therefore the first step to take when performing a valuation.


Methods

Different approaches of patent valuation are used by companies and organizations. Generally, these approaches are divided in two categories: the quantitative and qualitative valuation. While the quantitative approach relies on numerical and measurable data with the purpose to calculate the economic value of the intellectual property, the qualitative approach is focused on the analysis of the characteristics and potential uses of the intellectual property, such as the legal, technological, marketing or strategic aspects of the patented technologies. Qualitative valuation deals also with assessing the risks and opportunities associated to the intellectual property of the company.


Quantitative approach

Several methodologies are used on the quantitative approach, but generally they can be grouped in four methods: :* Cost-based method :* Market-based method :* Income-based method :* Option-based method


Cost-based method

This method is based on the principle that there is a direct relation between the costs expended in the development of the intellectual property and its economic value. Two different techniques are mainly used to measure costs: # Reproduction cost method: Estimations are performed by gathering all costs associated with the purchase or development of a replica of the patent under valuation. # Replacement cost method: Estimations are performed on the basis of the costs that would be spent to obtain an equivalent patent asset with similar use or function. In both methods, present prices are taken into account, i.e. the expenditures as of the valuation date and not the historical costs when these actually happened.Drews, D., ”The Cost Approach to IP Valuation: Its Uses and Limitations”, IP Metrics Intellectual Property Valuation, 2001 For assessing costs, two cost sources of two sorts should be included: direct expenditures, such as costs with materials, labor and management; and opportunity costs, relating to the lost profits due to delays in market entrance or investment opportunities lost with the aim of developing the assets.


Market-based method

The market-based valuation method relies on the estimation of value based on similar market transactions (e.g. similar license agreements) of comparable patent rights. Given that often the asset under valuation is unique, the comparison is performed in terms of utility, technological specificity and property, having also in consideration the perception of the asset by the market. Data on comparable or similar transactions may be accessed in the following sources: # Company annual reports. # Specialized royalty rate databases and publications. # In court decisions concerning damages.


Income-based method

This method is based on the principle that the value of an asset is intrinsic to the expected income flows it generates. After the income is estimated, the result is discounted by an appropriate
discount factor Discounting is a financial mechanism in which a debtor obtains the right to delay payments to a creditor, for a defined period of time, in exchange for a charge or fee.See "Time Value", "Discount", "Discount Yield", "Compound Interest", "Efficient ...
with the objective to adjust it to the present circumstances and therefore to determine the
net present value The net present value (NPV) or net present worth (NPW) applies to a series of cash flows occurring at different times. The present value of a cash flow depends on the interval of time between now and the cash flow. It also depends on the discount ...
of the intellectual property. There are different methods of calculation of the future cash flows, such as: #
Discounted cash flow The discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis is a method in finance of valuing a security, project, company, or asset using the concepts of the time value of money. Discounted cash flow analysis is widely used in investment finance, real estate de ...
method: This method aims to estimate future
cash flows A cash flow is a real or virtual movement of money: *a cash flow in its narrow sense is a payment (in a currency), especially from one central bank account to another; the term 'cash flow' is mostly used to describe payments that are expected ...
, which are projected and after discounted by applying an appropriate discount factor. The main source of information to estimate the cash flows is generally the business plan of the company that exploits or intends to exploit the asset. # Relief-from-royalty method: In this method the value of the asset is considered as the value of the royalty payments from which the company is relieved due to its ownership of the asset. Hence, the appropriate royalty rate must be determined, allowing the estimation of the future royalty income stream. A discount rate is applied to determine the present value of the asset.


Option-based method

Differing relative to the above methods, an option-based methodology takes into consideration the options and opportunities related to the investment. It relies on option pricing models (e.g. Black–Scholes) for stock options to achieve a valuation of a given intellectual property asset. In these cases,See for example: Robert Pitkethly (1997)
''The Valuation of Patents: A review of patent valuation methods with consideration of option based methods and the potential for further research''
Judge Institute Working Paper WP 21/97; Markus Reitzig. ''Valuing patents and patent portfolios from a corporate perspective: theoretical considerations, applied needs and future challenges'' - Ch. 15 in Derek L. Bosworth and Elizabeth Webster (2006). ''The Management of Intellectual Property''.
patents may be valued using the techniques developed for financial options, as applied via a real options framework.See
Aswath Damodaran Aswath Damodaran (born 24 September 1957), is a Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University (Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education), where he teaches corporate finance and equity valuation. Background Kn ...
:
Applications Of Option Pricing Theory To Equity Valuation
an
Option Pricing Applications in Valuation
Fernando Torres MSc

The Patent Value Guide.
The key parallel is that a patent provides its owner the right to exclude others from using the underlying invention, so both patents and stock options represent a right to exploit an asset in the future, and to exclude others from using it. The patent (option) will have value to the buyer (owner) only to the extent that the expected price in the future exceeds the opportunity cost of earning just as much in a risk-less alternative. Thus patent rights can be thought of as corresponding to a
call option In finance, a call option, often simply labeled a "call", is a contract between the buyer and the seller of the call option to exchange a security at a set price. The buyer of the call option has the right, but not the obligation, to buy ...
and may be valued correspondingly. See Contingent claim valuation, as well as , for further discussion.


Qualitative approach

This method does not rely on purely financial analytical data. In fact, the valuation in this method is performed through the analysis of different indicators with the purpose of rating the patent right, i.e. of determining its importance quality in terms of aspects that can impact the value of an intellectual property asset, covering legal aspects, the technology level of the innovation, market details and company organization. Commonly, the method is implemented through questionnaires comprising all these different criteria. Examples of questions included in such questionnaires can be: :* How would you define the patented technology innovation compared to the actual state of the art? :* Which level of its life cycle has the patent reached? :* What is the geographic coverage of the reference market?


See also

* Economics and patents * Intellectual property valuation


References

{{reflist, 30em Patent law