If you are involved in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, or private equity investments, due diligence on the IP of a target has a critical role to play. The reality of the IP a target owns or has rights to use, and how they protect and exploit their IP can significantly impact the value of the business. Similarly, potential legal risks like IP infringement claims, litigation history, or licensing disputes could derail the deal.
Before you make a final decision as to whether you will invest in a business, you should have a complete picture of both the business’ true long-term value and the potential risks it faces. Conducting a thorough analysis of a target company’s IP will unlock a range of commercially critical information and provide an additional layer of insight to help you make the right investment decisions.
Investing in an innovative business is laden with risk, particularly from an IP perspective. This is the reason why insurance companies must understand the IP held by the business seeking insurance. The principal way of achieving this understanding is to undertake IP due diligence before covering the risk.
The importance of IP as an asset class against which security can be granted continues to grow in the eyes of many banks. However, there are, of course risks associated with IP-based finance. IP due diligence plays an essential part in uncovering and assessing these risks to provide financial institutions with the insight they need to make a final decision as to whether they should lend against a business’ IP.
Explore how Potter Clarkson’s expert IP lawyers can protect your sportstech innovations. With the sportstech market rapidly expanding in areas like wearables, AI, and smart fitness equipment, safeguarding your intellectual property is crucial.