Category Finance

The Lure of Money

Unveil the truth behind patent value in "The Illusion of Value." Navigate the pitfalls of equating patents with instant wealth, and discover why their worth goes beyond novelty. Delve into the balance between pride and pragmatism when seeking patents, and uncover the hidden risks of patent trolls. Explore the delicate art of selling patents while preserving innovation.

Transfer Pricing & Trade Secrets

Transfer pricing is probably the most important issue in international corporate taxation. In taxation and accounting, transfer pricing refers to the rules and methods for pricing transactions between enterprises under common ownership or control. A transfer price is the price…

Trade Secrets

A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, commercial method, or compilation of information that is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable by others, and by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or…

Transfer Pricing and Intangibles, a continuing battlefield

Intangible property is one of the most important areas of Transfer Pricing at the moment. Today, intangible property generally represents between 40 and 80 percent of ‘value-add’ of multinational enterprises (MNEs), making it a key component of a MNEs value-chain.…

Patents role in Apple’s success

Now the master of new consumer technologies, Steve Jobs, announced his resignation on Wednesday as Apple CEO, attention is also given to the intellectual property aspects of Apple’s success. Mr. Jobs’s say over the minute details of Apple’s products is…

Mad Men Thrive in Mid-Town Manhattan

Once the iconic Main Street of the advertising industry, Madison Avenue has quietly evolved into a center for Manhattan’s emerging intellectual property businesses. Don Draper, flamboyant Mad Men creative director, however, needn’t worry about the new neighbors cramping his style. They’re too…

IP Securitization – the case for Belgium

In the rapidly changing economy of today, the tangible property of a company is becoming less important than an intangible property which is very often a company’s most important, if not the only, valuable asset. Nora Wouters highlights the possibilities…

Relevance of patents in M&A transactions

Economists have studied the relationship between patents and M&A activity but there is remarkable lack of data to show which role, if any, patents play in M&A transactions. Antti Saari, wrote his master’s thesis for his Finance study at the…

Patents and Tax Planning in Benelux

In financial difficult years every CFO is eager to listen to ideas to turn IP in their companies’ intangible assets into savings or better, cash. Of course monetization of unused patent portfolios is an option but this is very difficult…