Quality of Intellectual Property

Quality of Intellectual Property

Learn how your organization can benefit from Aon's quality of intellectual property solution. 

How to Value Intellectual Property

Today, 90 percent of the value of the S&P 500 is composed of intangible assets, including intellectual property (IP). Industry leaders protect their innovations with IP, which can create durable enterprise advantages. Yet, in many transactions, companies often fail to position their IP investment as a driver of enterprise value. Instead, IP is typically relegated to confirmatory due diligence, considered in the final stages of the deal — after value and terms have been negotiated. This process gap can lead to value leakage for innovative companies of all stages and sizes.

Helping Organizations Realize IP Value 

Aon’s Quality of Intellectual Property (QoIP) solution helps clients navigate IP-intensive investments and transactions with greater insight. QoIP delivers targeted analytics on the subject’s IP portfolio, compares it to a benchmark and describes its relationship to the enterprise and revenue streams. This IP intelligence enables our clients to make more informed decisions and realize better value, whether buying, building or selling investments.

QoIP Solutions Throughout the Investment Lifecycle

  • Buy: Acquisitions or Investments

    Inform Investment Decisions: 

    • Examine patents and coverage
    • Benchmark patents versus competitors
    • Identify key risks
    • Recommend portfolio enhancements and risk management opportunities

    Timing: Two weeks*

    *Timing may be subject to change due to deal variables and other factors.

  • Build: IP Strategy or Transaction Preparedness

    Optimize IP Coverage and Quality:

    • Identify IP investment opportunities
    • Enhance IP landscape visibility
    • Drive value-creation opportunities
    • Build portfolio value during the holding period

    Timing: Varies by scope

  • Sell: Exits and Divestitures or Capital Raising 

    Enhance Value Realization:

    • Catalog IP with precision
    • Position IP with impact
    • Benchmark IP versus competitors
    • Tie IP to enterprise advantages
    • Elevate IP positioning and data room content

    Timing: Five to eight weeks*

    *Timing may be subject to change due to deal variables and other factors.

90%

Today, 90 percent of the value of the S&P 500 is composed of intangible assets, including intellectual property. 

Source: Ocean Tomo

High-Impact IP Intelligence

  • Inventory

    Catalogs the IP portfolio, including patents, trade secrets and know-how, software and data, trademarks and brand, and other core intangibles

  • Quality

    Assesses the quality of the IP relative to the business and highlights core technologies protected by the portfolio

  • Benchmark

    Produces a landscape of relevant IP assets and compares IP coverage and quality against competitor portfolios within core areas of subject matter

  • Alignment

    Identifies IP coverage of existing and potential future revenue streams; identifies competitive advantages enabled by the IPO

  • Risk

    Assesses landscape litigation activity and portfolio impairment risk

Deal Impact: Why Work with Us?

Aon's QoIP report delivers deep IP analytics in plain English. By addressing relevant questions about the subject's IP portfolio, the report enables buyers and sellers to develop comprehensive insights early in the deal process and make more informed decisions.

Team and Technology

Our QoIP team combines extensive merger and acquisition (M&A) and capital market transaction experience with deep IP and consulting know-how. We leverage Aon’s extensive resources — including our broader team of nearly 200 IP professionals and our proprietary IP Genome technology platform — to deliver unique IP analysis with an engagement model optimized for the client’s needs.

Innovative Solutions for Innovative Companies

Aon has mobilized capital, technology and insurance capacity to help unlock IP as an asset class, developing a robust and innovative IP-backed lending ecosystem. Using insights from this experience, we work collaboratively with QoIP clients to help them articulate the value and quality of their IP assets to help optimize deal outcomes across the M&A and capital markets.

How Aon Makes an Impact

IP has historically been underutilized, underappreciated and under-protected. In many transactions, it’s been relegated to confirmatory due diligence, considered in the final stages of the deal, which can lead to value leakage. By working with Aon and implementing QoIP, clients can now better position the full potential value of their IP assets and realize better returns.

200

We leverage Aon’s extensive resources — including our broader team of nearly 200 IP professionals and our proprietary IP Genome technology platform — to deliver unique IP analysis with an engagement model optimized for the client’s needs.

Quote icon

Similar to how the quality of earnings improves visibility into financial performance and cash flow, QoIP paints a game-changing picture of technology innovation and protection relative to traditional IP disclosure. 

Matt Zimmer
Global Head of Investment Banking at William Blair & Company

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