Boston, MA USA, 15 June 2009 — Intellectual property consultancy yet2.com announced today a new practice for anonymous patent acquisition on behalf of its clients. The practice was developed and refined quietly over the past four years by yet2.com personnel. The company specializes in finding and placing technologies for Open Innovation activities in companies around the world. Its client base consists of about half the Global 1000, in addition to thousands of smaller organizations.

“Today’s patent landscape is critically important to the business strategy of any company involved with technology,” said Phil Stern, yet2.com CEO and co-founder. “Tremendous IP assets are suddenly available worldwide. Those patent assets will trade. We’re seeing a set of Fortune 500 ‘strategic’ companies that are investing in buying these patents for strategic and freedom-to-practice reasons. Strategics that have become sophisticated about this current IP market have concluded that patents on the market today are much less expensive now than they may be in the future, given the volume of financial and non-practicing-entity players who are active in the market. Strategics that don’t move now may in the future regret missed opportunities.”

Brad Kullberg, vice president of yet2.com, heads the patent practice. Previously, Mr. Kullberg was vice president of corporate business development and general manager of intellectual property business at Polaroid Corporation. He said, “Because we search the world on behalf of so many different acquiring organizations, we can offer superior access to IP assets.”

“Some companies may be unsure about strategic defensive buying of IP,” Kullberg continued, “but our counsel is to think of it as insurance. We recognize that entering into defensive buying is a tough decision for the big strategic companies, but the more sophisticated players in this space are finding sound return for their investment.”

One key to effective patent acquisition is anonymity. If you’re anonymous, you can negotiate the best price point and make agreements without disclosing your identity. You leave no traceable indication of interest, and you can acquire rights without being named as assignee. Kullberg said, “There is enormous risk to entering the market under your own name — even more so if you elect not to buy or if a deal falls through. The market then knows your identity and your interest, and your name can be used in other negotiations as a validation of interest. But yet2.com’s value goes beyond acting as a simple anonymous buffer. We have years of successes and a couple of scars as well in negotiating these types of transactions. As a third party with exceptional market knowledge, we can offer dispassionate negotiating guidance.”

yet2.com monitors major patenting areas for both patent acquisition and patent sales. Contact Hanna Adeyema (hadeyema@yet2.com) for the current list of high-interest areas.