Saturday, March 24, 2012

AOL Looks to Sell or License More Than 800 Patents

AOL was my first ISP in the 1990s. It was a painful relationship that lasted 2-3 weeks. It might have been shorter, but I was working late in the office many nights so didn't feel the full frustration of working with the snail like dial-up speeds. As a web page slowly loaded one night, I wondered what to do then realized I have time to make a cup of espresso before this loads. But I returned to find not the page, but a lost connection and the need to dial-up again, but wait now the dial-up line is busy....

Not breaking this corporate mold AOL noticed although business is in decline it has over 800 patents. It floats the idea they will yield $1B in licensing income. Does this sound far-fetched? Not in this environment! I expect they will be quickly purchased and/or licensed and the only question is the value and the buyer.

Here are the details: AOL Said to Hire Evercore to Find Patent-Portfolio Buyer

Copyright © 2012 Robert Moll. All rights reserved.