It must already be pretty cold in Canada, even during the day. Otherwise how does one explain the flurry of activities surrounding Ottawa-based WiLAN, which bills itself as a “leading technology innovation and licensing company.” Licensing certainly, but innovation may be a bit of a stretch unless one considers how the company has staked out a formidable position in the business of amassing other people’s intellectual property and then through licensing and legal action monetizing it.
Some might call them opportunistic, while others might label them “IP trolls,” but the truth is the company has acquired over 3,000 issued or pending patents and is a force in the tech industry, wireless in particular, like them or not.
As we head into the end of the year, it seemed like a good time to look at one of the significant licensing companies to see where they are exerting themselves. Others like to look at where angel investors and private equity guys are placing their bets, but I also like to keep tags on some of the licensing companies because they tend to be good indicators of what are likely to be hot markets... Read More
