JUNE 2007
Ten due diligence steps for IP buyers
The boom in mergers, acquisition and private equity investment puts the onus on investors to carry out comprehensive IP due diligence. Tamsen Valoir provides a practical 10-point plan covering the most important questions to ask
It is always wise to perform at least a minimum of due diligence before investing in any third party intellectual property. According to reports in various newspapers and professional articles, Volkswagen forgot this simple rule in buying Rolls Royce. VW paid more than $700 million for the cars, designs and manufacturing facilities, but forgot to check who owned the famous Rolls Royce marks. Meanwhile, BMW bought the marks from the correct owner for a mere $65 million, and eventually ended up with all of Rolls Royce!
The rest of this article is available to subscribers only. Subscribe today for full access to this article.
Alternatively take a free trial, giving you access to the current issue's contents*
If you are already a subscriber, please log in below to access the rest of this article.
*excludes some surveys and articles.