Intellectual Ventures News

On the Road with Intellectual Ventures’ Global Head of Technology, Patrick Ennis

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It’s 10:15 pm, and Patrick Ennis is in a taxi bound for the airport in Delhi, India. He’s getting ready for a 1:00 am flight to Beijing. The streets of India are legendary for displaying 2,000 years of transportation history in one place—animals, pedestrians, carts, bikes, cars, buses, trucks—and it sounds like tonight is no different. “I learned to drive in New York, but this is much harder,” says Ennis. Though it’s late at night, he adds, “It’s still 10 times as much traffic as Seattle.”

Intellectual Ventures Expands Invention Efforts Globally

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

BELLEVUE, Wash. – September 30, 2008 -- Intellectual Ventures, LLC (“IV”) announces the formal launch of its Asian-based invention development efforts. During the month of October, IV founders, Nathan P. Myhrvold and Edward Jung, will host a series of press events and office openings in five countries across Asia.

Tech Guru Riles Industry By Seeking Huge Patent Fees

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Millionaire Nathan Myhrvold, renowed in the computer industry as a Renaissance man, has a less lofty message for tech companies these days: Pay up.

Transcript: Myhrvold of Intellectual Ventures

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

WSJ's Amol Sharma sat down with Nathan Myhrvold, founder and CEO of Intellectual Ventures, at his Bellevue, Wash., headquarters. They discussed going to court to enforce patents, targeting the company's own investors for patent infringement and the return curve on nuclear reactor technology. (See related article.)

A Who’s Who of Geeking Out at Nathan Myhrvold’s Intellectual Ventures

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When I visited Nathan Myhrvold last month at the Intellectual Ventures lab in Bellevue, WA, I didn’t get a chance to meet one of the lab’s most distinguished residents, science-fiction novelist Neal Stephenson. Myhrvold mentioned him during our meeting, but it was too early in the day to find him in the building. Stephenson, best known for his cyberpunk novel Snow Crash and mind-blowing historical fiction like Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle volumes, joined Intellectual Ventures part-time last year and usually comes into the lab in the afternoons, after his morning writing sessions at his Seattle home.

In on the Big Secret

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Most companies that scored a high-profile recruit like IP lawyer Sanjay Prasad would trumpet it by blasting press releases at the tech and law media. But when you're Intellectual Ventures, the remarkably secretive -- and fast-growing -- Seattle patent holder, you don't even put his profile on your website.

With Intellectual Ventures, Nathan Myhrvold Out to Create “Invention Capital” Industry—and Stop Hurricanes, Malaria, and Global Warming in the Process (Part 2)

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, we ran the first half of a sit-down interview with Nathan Myhrvold, cofounder and CEO of Intellectual Ventures, the Bellevue, WA-based invention laboratory and investment firm. Myhrvold, the former CTO of Microsoft (and an Xconomist), placed his current company’s goals in the context of venture capital and private equity, arguing that there is a real need to create what he calls an “invention capital” industry.

With Intellectual Ventures, Nathan Myhrvold Out to Create “Invention Capital” Industry—and Reinvent Invention in the Process

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This time last week, Nathan Myhrvold was sitting down with Bill Gates. Gates had just returned from the Olympics, where he had watched some high-profile ping-pong matches—a very hot ticket in China. The two former Microsoft colleagues were catching up, and their discussion turned to racquet sports, and the various technical differences between them.

A brain reaction: Elite idea factory's biggest venture yet: safer and cheaper nuclear power plants

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With presidential candidate John McCain and others promoting nuclear power as a solution to the nation's energy woes, a Bellevue invention factory is positioning itself to spark a revived nuclear industry.

Failure Is an Option

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What do you do when what you need to know hasn't been thought of yet?

Bellevue patent-buying firm hires for growth in Asia

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Intellectual Ventures LLC, the Bellevue patent-holding firm founded by former Microsoft chief technology office Nathan Myhrvold, is rapidly bulking up its staff and prepaing for a major expansion in Asia.

Annals of Innovation: In the Air: The New Yorker

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Annals of Innovation: Who says big ideas are rare?

Hope for the Little Guys at the Intellectual Property Symposium

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Small inventors, beware. You’ve got to be crazy to be an entrepreneur. You’ve got to be even crazier to be an inventor. Patent reform could change things, but opportunities abound in the nascent intellectual property marketplace.

Investing in Invention

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Peter Detkin discusses business models focused on investing in invention.

Valuing Intellectual Property

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Patents may be at the root of scientific and technological advances and national prosperity, but it’s been tough to actually put a price tag on their value. But two former Microsoft Corp. managers are trying to do just that. Edward Jung and Nathan Myhrvold started Intellectual Ventures, which they call an "invention capital" company, in Bellevue, WA, several years ago. (This story appears courtesy of Science|Business, an independent news and events service for early-stage investment in R&D, across Europe, across industries. www.sciencebusiness.net)

Leveling the Patent Playing Field by Peter Detkin

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

While large companies continue to thrive on pervasive technological advancements, small inventors have been limited by their inability to exploit their patents. Patent portfolio licensing created a pioneering way to increase the utility of patents; however, in practice this business model has typically favored powerful players in the technology industry. A new market has emerged based on innovative business models which favor small inventors. This market seeks to aggregate and distribute patents to companies that infringe on intellectual property or that want to draw on it as a source. By matching patent owners with patent users, this market may enable small inventors to have a greater stake in their technological efforts.

Myhrvold's New model: Funding Invention

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Nathan Myhrvold spent 14 years founding and running Microsoft Research. He retired in 2000 and has since focused on a range of interests from wildlife photography to cooking. (He is writing a cookbook about modern styles of cooking including "sous vide," which involves cooking in vacuum-sealed bags at low temperatures.)

A conversation with Nathan Myhrvold

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here’s the full length of my interview with Nathan Myhrvold, a portion of which we ran in the newspaper today.

Nathan Myhrvold on Patent Mongers and Business

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The basic framework of Nathan Myhrvold's story is well known. Born in Seattle in 1959, he went to college at age 14, taking a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1979 at the same time he earned master's in geophysics and space physics at UCLA. Then, came the master's in mathematical economics two years later before Ph.Ds in theoretical and mathematical physics, both at Princeton. He was 23 at that point when he headed to Cambridge University in the U.K. for post-doctoral work in cosmology and quantum theory with Stephen Hawking, who holds the mathematics chair that Sir Isaac Newton held 300 years ago.

Intellectual Innovator

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Former physicist Nathan Myhrvold has been many things -- from Bill Gates' right-hand man to the world champion of barbecue. He tells Martin Griffiths how he is now hoping to change how the world invents.

The Myth of the Patent Troll

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This Comment argues that, contrary to popular belief, patent trolls actually benefit society. These trolls act as a market intermediary in the patent market. Patent trolls provide liquidity, market clearing, and increased efficiency to the patent markets—the same benefits securities dealers supply capital markets.

The Collector

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Former Microsoft research guru Nathan Myhrvold, the founder and CEO of Intellectual Ventures, has a vision to transform IP into a new asset class. So why is he being called a patent troll?

Brief of Fallbrook Technologies, Inc.; Intellectual Ventures; Ellsworth International, Inc.; GE02 Technologies, Inc.; Mobile Productivity, Inc.; Composite Technology International, Inc.; Skyler Technology, Inc.; Private Management, Inc.; et. al

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Susman Godfrey represented Intellectual Ventures in an amicus brief in KSR v. Teleflex, a Supreme Court case that will define the obviousness standard for patents. The brief urged the Court to retain the obviousness standard in order to adequately protect small businesses, independent inventors, and the process of invention. Representing Intellectual Ventures were Susman Godfrey attorneys Matthew Berry, Justin Nelson, and Brooke Taylor.

IV Moves from Myth to Reality

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

IV Moves from Myth to Reality. This article originally ran in issue 19 of Intellectual Asset Management magazine, published by Globe White Page, London (www.iam-magazine.com). Reprinted with permission. Until recently, Intellectual Ventures had operated in almost total secrecy, revealing nothing and seemingly happy to allow rumours about its business model become accepted truth. Now, however, senior directors Nathan Myhrvold and Peter Detkin are beginning to talk.

"The Godfather of Invention"

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

July 3, 2006 cover story: Inside Nathan Myhrvold's Mysterious New Idea Machine (search "Myhrvold" for direct link)

Intellectual Ventures files 500th patent application

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Intellectual Ventures, LLC (“IV”) announces its team of staff and senior inventors has recently filed its 500th patent application. By bringing together some of the world’s top scientists and technologists and providing them resources and a collaborative environment, IV’s invention team is innovating in areas such as information processing, wireless communications, digital imaging, biomedical devices and advanced particle physics.

Who's Afraid of Nathan Myhrvold

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Nathan Myhrvold says he doesn't know what everybody is so upset about.

Edward Jung Testimony: Hearing on Intellectual Property Rights Issues and Dangers of Counterfeited Goods Imported Into the United States

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Commission, I am pleased to submit my response to the four questions asked by the Commission and to testify before you at today’s hearing. I really appreciate the opportunity to comment.

Testimony of Nathan P. Myhrvold, "Perspectives on Patents: Post-Grant Review Procedures and Other Litigation Reforms" -- a Hearing before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate

Tue, 23 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, my name is Nathan Myhrvold. I am very pleased to share my views as a scientist and inventor on the patent system with the Subcommittee.

Mind Games

Mon, 01 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Intellectual Ventures happily invests in invention, while the tech world trembles in fear. An inside look at Nathan Myhrvold's $400 million IP experiment.

Patent Firm Woos Big Name Inventors

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Inventing the future

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Brainstorming in a swamp. Whipping up a blizzard of patent applications. And cutting a raft of business deals. That's the new strategy being field-tested by Nathan P. Myhrvold, the man formerly known as "Microsoft's Brain," who wants to revolutionize technology transfer and improve the quality of inventions flowing into the marketplace.

Inventors Have Rights Too!

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Why is the tech industry out to squash the rights of inventors? Aren't tech companies pro-invention? That paradox played out yesterday as the Supreme Court heard a patent case between eBay and MercExchange.

BRIEF AMICI CURIAE OF MARTIN COOPER, RAYMOND DAMADIAN, LEROY HOOD, NATHAN MYHRVOLD, ROBERT RINES, BURT RUTAN, JAMES WEST, 14 OTHER INVENTORS, AND INTELLECTUAL VENTURES IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENT

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

On behalf of many of the most important American inventors of our time, Susman Godfrey has filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in the eBay, Inc. v. MercExchange L.L.C. case set for oral argument this term.

Invention is the Next Software

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

"I think the 21st century has come full circle. I think the 21st century is going to be the age of invention and it’s going to be an incredibly exciting, exciting time for those of us (who) like to invent. It’s going to be an exciting time for those policymakers who make the rules of the road by which people who invent co-exist with other parts of the economy."

Roadblocks, Toll Roads, and Bridges: Using a Patent Portfolio Wisely

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

This content is excerpted from the new John Wiley & Sons book Making Innovation Pay: People Who Turn IP Into Shareholder Value (0-471-73337-7, March 2006) with permission from the publisher John Wiley & Sons. You may not make any other use, or authorize others to make any other use of this excerpt, in any print or non-print format, including electronic or multimedia. You may purchase the book from http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471733377.html Correction to Peter Detkin profile: Mr. Detkin was not an associate at Kenyon and Kenyon; he was an associate at Fish and Neave.

Patent troll or producer? : The evolution of intellectual property

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

“A few times a month a handful of people gather at the Seattle-area headquarters of Intellectual Ventures, a company founded by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold, for "invention sessions." During the meetings, staff scientists, financial experts and outside academics brainstorm visions for the future, guess the needs of tomorrow's customers and theorize on applications and products to meet those demands. All the while Intellectual Ventures employees take notes and snap photos of the whiteboard where the inventors scribble notes and flow charts. It's all fodder for future patent applications. So far, the company has received one patent that grew out of its invention sessions and has 300 applications outstanding.

Has the enemy of the patent troll become one?

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT

“Detkin recently spoke with CIO Insight about his "invention company," business-method patents and the definition of ‘troll.’”

Trolling for Patents

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

". . . The company, headed by former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold, conducts research in hopes of stumbling upon the next big lucrative invention."

Are U.S. Innovators Losing Their Competitive Edge?

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

". . .Nathan Myhrvold, part of Microsoft's early brain trust and the former head of its heavily endowed research arm, founded Intellectual Ventures, a fund that he says spends "millions of dollars" annually to support individual inventors in long-term projects. . . "

Antitrust Modernization Commission hearings on the New Economy.

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

On Nov 8, Peter Detkin joined several patent law experts in a panel discussion held by the Antitrust Modernization Commission in Washington DC. The focus of the day's hearing was on antitrust law and the new economy and included a panel discussion dedicated to patent reform issues.

Microsoft alums amass thousands of patents

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Intellectual Ventures, a start-up specializing in intellectual property, has proclaimed its dedication to inventing new technologies. And it has amassed quite a large patent portfolio, as well. Used with permission from CNET Networks, Inc., Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

A Survey of Patents and Technology

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Intellectual-property protection can be good for the technology industry as well as for its customers, says Kenneth Cukier. But it requires careful handling. © 2005 The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Further reproduction prohibited. www.economist.com

Voracious Venture

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Intellectual Ventures represents a radically new business model for technology--a cross between a venture capital fund, a law firm and an R&D lab. © 2005 The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Further reproduction prohibited. www.economist.com

The Spark of Invention

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Today, Myhrvold's five-year-old firm, Intellectual Ventures, helps develop would-be inventors with the capital and the expertise to make their ideas come to fruition.

Ex-Microsoft CTO claims patent 'problem' is myth

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT

ASPEN, Colo. -- Not only have fears of a patent crisis been greatly exaggerated, but the U.S. patent system is functioning quite well, Microsoft's former chief technologist said Tuesday. Nathan Myhrvold, now the chief executive of a start-up company that exists to create and license inventions, told a conference here that "before you get worked up about this gigantic problem, you ought to see what the facts are."

An interesting look at current patent reform debate -- "A Modest Proposal: After six years of the status quo, software companies urge Congress to revamp the patent system"

Mon, 09 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Last year, the giants in the software industry got together to find a cure for one of their biggest headaches: costly patent litigation.

Testimony of Nathan P. Myhrvold, “Patent Quality and Improvement” before the Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property

Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, my name is Nathan Myhrvold. I am very pleased to have been asked to share my views as a scientist and inventor on the patent system with the Subcommittee. My personal history is very relevant to my remarks today, so permit me to introduce myself.

CNET News.com Q&A with Intellectual Ventures CEO Nathan Myhrvold: Building a New Idea Factory

Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Golf really isn't one of those things ex-Microsoft execs do in retirement, and that's true in spades for Nathan Myhrvold.

Since stepping down as the company's chief technology officer five years ago, Myhrvold has pursued paleontology, a long-standing hobby, by funding dinosaur digs. But Myhrvold has more on his mind these days than searching for prehistoric bones. He's also the founder of Intellectual Ventures, a somewhat mysterious and controversial start-up. Used with permission from CNET Networks, Inc., Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

The Magic of Invention; Lessons on creativity from the world of aviation, Teflon and Velcro

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Nathan P. Myhrvold *83, former chief technology officer at Microsoft and founder of Intellectual Ventures, a company that nurtures invention, received the 2005 James Madison Medal on Alumni Day, Feb. 26. This essay is adapted from the lecture he gave that day in Richardson Auditorium.

Check out: "Juice: The Creative Fuel that Drives World-Class Inventors"

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT

About the author (taken from http://www.gotjuice.org): "Evan I. Schwartz writes and speaks about invention, innovation, and the impact of new technology on business and society. He is a former editor at BusinessWeek, where he was part of a team that won a National Magazine Award. He is currently a contributing writer for MIT's Technology Review. While researching and writing Juice, Mr. Schwartz served as a consulting editor for the Lemelson-MIT Program for Invention and Innovation at MIT’s School of Engineering. Mr. Schwartz received a B.S. in computer science from Union College in Schenectady, New York."

"Invention: The Ultimate Source of All That is New." Nathan Myhrvold provides foreword to Evan Schwartz book on inventors: Juice: The Creative Fuel that Drives World-Class Inventors

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Nathan Myhrvold's foreword to a recent book about inventors encompasses his perspectives on the important role invention plays in the world.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Money Surges Into Local Investment Firms

Thu, 18 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMT

More than half a billion dollars may be flowing into Seattle-area investment firms.

Newsweek: Factory of the Future?

Wed, 17 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Fostering a culture of creativity and invention is critical to long-term economic health, says Nathan Myhrvold. The eclectically minded founder of Microsoft Research -- a theoretical physicist who once studied cosmology with Stephen Hawking and hunts, successfully, for dinosaur fossils -- now co-runs a small firm, Intellectual Ventures, devoted to invention.

MIT Technology Review: Sparking the Fire of Invention

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT

A new breed of entrepreneurs is out to reinvent invention by uniting far-flung innovators and freeing them from normal corporate constraints.

Boston Globe: Myhrvold Aims to Reinvent the Spirit of Inventing

Sun, 28 Sep 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Nathan P. Myhrvold, the frenetic and intellectually versatile founder of Microsoft Research, may turn out to be the Thomas Edison or Edwin Land of his generation.

MIT Technology Review: Myhrvold's Exponential Economy

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Microsoft's former technology chief is branching out. He's looking for industries where efficiencies multiply every couple of years—in infotech, sure, but biology too.

Bio-IT World Q&A with Nathan Myhrvold: Big Pharmas Are Dinosaurs

Wed, 01 May 2002 00:00:00 GMT

"But what's a Princeton-educated mathematician, UCLA-trained physicist, gourmet chef, and paleontologist doing in biotech? Well, he's already cashed in on his investment in Rosetta Inpharmatics, which was just sold to Merck & Co. Now he runs Intellectual Ventures, which he's loathe to cast as a VC firm despite its name. The difference is it will fund his ideas rather than those of others.

USA Today: Myhrvold explains why the New Economy is far from dead

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 00:00:00 GMT

"Here, in his office, Myhrvold tells me of his theory of exponential economies. "If the New Economy means anything, it's an economy in the presence of these exponential economies," he says. "Which, by the way, is new."