Strategy and Valuation

We advise on strategy for the development of portfolio of IP rights and on the valuation of your intangible assets, in particular by means of audits, due diligence and any contractual transactions associated with your IP rights. We assist you to ensure that the legal protection offered by your property rights is consistent with the way in which they are used commercially.

Your company’s commercial success is closely linked with appropriate protection of your intellectual property rights. We will help you to create a policy for the protection of your intangible property rights to a greater or lesser extent depending on your ambitions and the constraints of the market.

« I would like to have information about the activity of one of my competitors. Is that possible?»

At your request, our firm can undertake enquiries regarding competitors’ intellectual property strategies.

These investigations provide, in a lawful manner, information relating in particular to the filings of property rights undertaken worldwide, the registered agreements such as licences and assignments.

We are thus able to carry out an audit of IP portfolios which reflect the activities of third parties in a particular market. This expertise in economic intelligence not only allows you to access information about your competitors, but also enables you to adapt your own strategy.

« What is the point of having an audit of my portfolio of rights carried out? »

We undertake audits of IP rights portfolios in order to check, in particular:

• that the legal protection offered by the rights is consistent with the manner in which they are commercialised on the market, so that we can propose, where necessary, additional filings or the abandonment of superfluous property rights;
• in the context of a transfer of rights, that the assignor is able to do so without going against acts previously undertaken (e.g., we may check for a previously-registered assignment or licence agreement, failure to renew a trademark, failure to pay a patent maintenance fee, etc.);
• in the context of a licence, that the industrial property rights registers are consulted in order to check that the information regarding the proprietor is correct.

The general purpose of due diligence is to carry out an assessment from a legal perspective of your IP rights or of third parties’ rights in order to safeguard the transactions being considered.

« How can I determine the capital value of my industrial property portfolio? »

Knowing the asset value of your intellectual property is essential if you plan to acquire or sell a portfolio of patents or trademarks, make a contribution in kind, or assess the proportion of your IP assets in your company’s valuation.

Our firm has developed extensive expertise over many years in the valuation of intellectual property assets, supported by a dedicated department within our organization.

We assess patents, trademarks, designs and models, and software, taking into account the valuation context (assignment, licensing, capital contribution, etc.), the legal status of the rights, and related legal, technological, or financial risks.

We apply recognized valuation methodologies that enable us to accurately determine the value of an intellectual property portfolio.

In particular, for patents, we consider the costs incurred to obtain and maintain the portfolio as an investment. We also analyze the commercial value of the portfolio based on the expected revenue. We take into account additional parameters such as market type, scope of protection, the existence of associated know-how, and relevant technical and legal valuation factors.

Regarding trademarks, we take into consideration the protection scope, reputation, level of commercial use, existence of disputes, and the relevant market.

We assist our clients in identifying and organizing the key information required for a sound valuation.

Our valuation studies determine and substantiate the capital or monetary value of an IP portfolio, particularly for submission to statutory auditors or contribution commissioners.

« How can I quantify the budget that should be allocated to intellectual property?»

We will provide clear estimates and propose options in line with your budgetary priorities.

Before starting to work on a file, our standard practice is to discuss budgetary parameters with you so that we can offer suitable solutions.

In order to facilitate the management of the financing of your intellectual property (IP) using tools or indicators specific to your company, all of the relevant analysis and summaries of information relating to the management of your IP rights portfolio (cost, statistics, provisional budgets, etc) can be obtained from our specialized database CleverIP.

« I would like my sales team to be have a greater awareness of IP. What do you offer?»

Intellectual property is an essential weapon to use against your competitors. This is why it is important to provide training in, and raise awareness of the various types of tools associated with intellectual property.

Whatever our clients’ profiles, our firm offers training to familiarise in-house manager with IP rights. In particular BE IP™ approach has been developed entirely by LLR. We also offer training sessions to universities and engineering schools