Finnegan assists client AOL in achieving $1.056 billion patent deal

Finnegan client AOL reached a record-setting agreement with Microsoft to receive $1.056 billion for selling over 800 patents and granting Microsoft a license on its remaining 300 patents and patent applications.  We worked closely with AOL over several years to strategically build and strengthen its patent portfolio, towards its monetization goals.  Our strategic patent planning and prosecution services involved reviewing and processing hundreds of transferred cases.  The team analyzed the portfolio and implemented a process for strengthening it—identifying key inventions, studying products and trends in the market, drafting claims with an eye toward enforcement, and conducting interviews with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examiners to obtain prompt allowances. We also helped AOL identify monetization opportunities and develop offensive and defensive patent strategies.  When AOL’s board of directors authorized a sale process for the portfolio, we worked with AOL’s in-house patent team and top executives and a team of advisors, handling numerous critical tasks and providing guidance throughout the negotiations and bidding process.