Acquisition & Monetization of Semiconductor Fabrication and Packaging Patents
Key Facts
- Mintz was hired to acquire and monetize patents with an AMD pedigree
- The firm conducted technical, legal, and market aspects of the acquisition
- Following the acquisition, Mintz created and drove a licensing revenue program
The Situation
Innovative Foundry Technologies hired Mintz to diligence, purchase, and monetize semiconductor fabrication and packaging patents from the semiconductor patent portfolio AMD had accumulated prior to spinning out its business as GlobalFoundries.
The Approach
The firm conducted extensive due diligence on the semiconductor fabrication patent portfolios in order to identify patents with significant market value that would have no deleterious effects on the operating business' position as a technology leader nor weaken the protections around its innovations.
Ultimately the firm was able to identify and negotiate the acquisition of 120 world-class patents. The Mintz team handled all aspects of the work, including technical analysis of the portfolio, selecting valuable patents, identifying infringers in order to value the acquisition properly, and negotiating and papering the acquisition.
The Outcome
The team used its industry-proprietary mining and asset identification techniques, which include technology-driven and eyes-on analysis, to identify patents with market value. We determined an appropriate market value by identifying potential infringers through reverse engineering and conducting market research. Our team then implemented an enforcement program against TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) and several of its customers, including Chinese handset makers, which resulted in favorable settlement negotiations.