United States - Considering Intellectual Property Securitisation

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), among others, describes the securitisation of intellectual property (IP) assets as "a new trend". It has now been more than seven years since the introduction of the so-called Bowie bonds - regarded as the first ever music royalties future receivable securitisation - which gave rise to IP securitisation as a financing vehicle. In the years since the introduction of the Bowie bonds, a great deal has been written in the business and legal press and in academic journals about securitizing various IP portfolios from copyrights (particularly those associated with music and film) and patents (particularly those associated with pharmaceuticals and high technology) to trademarks and even trade secrets and domain names. ... Link: DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary from Mondaq.  Requires free registration. Note, the word "securitisation" here refers not to locking something up but rather to monetizing IP rights through the vehicle of securities. --Dennis