A new dimension of IP Intermediaries

Sammanfattning: The intellectual property (IP) market is perceived as (potentially) highly profitable and highly complex. This has led to the emergence of IP intermediaries whose business models are based on monetizing IP. Examples of IP Intermediaries are patent brokers, licensing agents and patent aggregators. These intermediaries are expected to facilitate IP (patent) transactions and to create markets for IP. Previous studies have mainly focused upon IP intermediaries on the USA market of technology. This paper investigates upon incumbent patent agencies in Sweden with the purpose of identifying actors that perform IP brokering services. The investigated population consists of 233 incumbent patent agencies in Sweden. These companies were Investigated and screened in order to identify brokering activities within these companies. In the final screening process interviews were used and 5 brokering companies were identified. The identified companies differ as regards size and services. However, they are relative new comers in the field of brokering services. The field is undergoing a rapid evolution. Presumably the findings of a future study would be quite different.