BTexact Licensing Patents

MARTLESHAM, U.K. -- BTexact Technologies, BT’s advanced research and technology division, today announced that it will be working with ipValue to further unlock the value of the 14,000 patents in its portfolio.BTexact and ipValue have signed a six-year exclusive contract to license BTexact’s existing and future patents to corporations based in the United States and Canada together with non-exclusive rights in Japan. ipValue is a new company formed in late 2001 by iFormation Group and its shareholders, The Boston Consulting Group, General Atlantic Partners and Goldman Sachs to help holders of intellectual property rights (IPR) realise maximum value from their portfolios. BTexact plans to use the extra revenue resulting from further patent licensing to provide greater value to shareholders and fund additional research.BT’s worldwide patent portfolio comprises some 14,000 patents or patents pending and covers fundamental technologies in telecommunications, multimedia and wireless. The majority of the innovations were developed by technologists at BTexact’s renowned research and development centre, Adastral Park, near Ipswich, in the UK. Patents for basic enabling technologies in the fields of optical fibre, free-space optics, submarine cable and videoconferencing technologies have already been licensed to companies in Europe, North America and Asia who are using the ideas as the foundation for their products and services. Joe Zier, president of ipValue, said: “In today’s environment, when companies have cut costs to the bone and tried to find new ways of generating incremental revenues, intellectual property represents the single largest opportunity for companies to generate bottom-line profits. Intellectual property commercialisation is the hidden treasure just waiting to be discovered in every company that invests in research and development. We are very excited to be working with BTexact, with its impressive team, reputation and rich portfolio of technologies.”BTexact TechnologiesipValue