Challenge
A leading semiconductor manufacturer with a portfolio of more than 70,000 patent assets wanted to identify opportunities to optimize portfolio maintenance costs.
Solution
The company had shortlisted a set of over 3,500 patents, covering technology domains such as microprocessors, semiconductor manufacturing, electronic circuits, and IC design, for which the maintenance fee schedule was due.
The client partnered with UnitedLex to analyze and identify patents that it could abandon to save on renewals.
The UnitedLex team adopted a structured approach to analyze these patents across multiple parameters—including market relevance, enforceability, and technology activity—and identified relatively low-value assets that the company could abandon.
Impact
UnitedLex marked approximately 35 percent of those assets under review in the “less recommended” category as other preferred alternatives were in wide use, or the technology was obsolete or due to changes in the client’s business strategy, proposing that the client allow these patents to lapse. This saved nearly $10M in annuities.
Driving Efficiency Throughout the IP Lifecycle
In a fast-changing, hyper-competitive world, advancements in technology challenge the thinking of what is possible more frequently than realized. This evolving landscape requires organizations to build smart IP portfolios that enable them to both defend their current portfolios and capitalize on proactive licensing revenue strategies, maximizing the potential for value capture. UnitedLex helps technology companies and leading law firms unlock and protect their IP assets’ value. We have supported the world’s leading companies in more than 250 patent litigation matters and achieved over $3B in favorable client settlements and jury verdicts in the past 10 years.
To learn more about how to manage your patent renewal process by enforcing strategic decisions, download our white paper Semiconductor Patent Portfolio Profitability through Reverse Engineering.
