期刊名称：Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property
印刷版ISSN：1559-9493
出版年度：2016
卷号：15
期号：2
页码：419
出版社：Chicago-Kent College of Law
摘要：Intellectual Property Exchange International, Inc. (“IPXI”) was formed in 2008 to create a market-based trading exchange for aggregated patent license rights, particularly standards-essential patents (“SEPs”). IPXI based its model on existing commodities exchanges, proposing that non-exclusive patent licenses could be standardized, commoditized, and traded on an open market, thus eliminating costly and inefficient bilateral negotiations and providing a royalty rate likely to be viewed as “reasonable.” IPXI’s most ambitious offering involved a portfolio of 194 U.S., European and other patents deemed essential to IEEE’s 802.11n “Wi-Fi” standard. Despite the backing of several significant patent holders, IPXI’s offering failed to attract sufficient interest, and IPXI ceased operations in March 2015. This article analyzes the failure of IPXI based on the documentary record, public statements by IPXI executives and interviews with industry experts. It concludes that, despite its potential to improve the efficiency of the SEP licensing market, factors including a lack of participation by key patent holders, an untested record of enforcing patents against infringers, and constraints imposed by its standardized license offering, led to IPXI’s demise.
