They work in deep secrecy: Inventors who sell to Intellectual Ventures often sign nondisclosure agreements.
They are all controlled by a venture capital firm called Intellectual Ventures, based in Bellevue, Wash.
He eventually signed after tracking down the true owner of the patents: Intellectual Ventures.
ThinkFire managers did not confront him after learning that Intellectual Ventures was bidding at the same patent auction.
Myhrvold started Intellectual Ventures with his friend Edward Jung right after they left Microsoft.
What that "stuff" is isn't clear since Intellectual Ventures hasn't yet been awarded any new patents.
Myhrvold, who used to be the chief technology officer at Microsoft, co-founded Intellectual Ventures in 2000.
Intellectual Ventures, as well as generating its own ideas, buys sheaves of patents from others.
Founded in 2000, Intellectual Ventures (IV) is the global leader in the business of invention.
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Lee, 48, abruptly left Intellectual Ventures a few months ago and is now living in Vancouver, Canada.
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In addition, litigation takes a long time, potentially making the relationship between Intellectual Ventures and its investors contentious.
The fund was separate from other funds at Intellectual Ventures that were established by Myhrvold to purchase patents.
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As part of his multiheaded business plan, Intellectual Ventures built a 27, 500-square-foot laboratory at its headquarters in Bellevue, Wash.
The company is a subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, an invention firm run by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
This is the fourth lawsuit Intellectual Ventures, or IV, has filed to assert some of its 35, 000 intellectual property assets.
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Intellectual Ventures is building an active market for invention that allows buyers, sellers and inventors to realize value for their ideas.
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"We feel good about our investment with Intellectual Ventures, " says Bruce Zimmerman, who runs the University of Texas Investment Management Co.
It will expose Intellectual Ventures to massive legal discovery, which could potentially uncover the sensitive secrets of this highly secretive investment firm.
Intellectual Ventures believes that funding invention is the future for using technology to affect change on a global level around the world.
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Intellectual Ventures, the patent licensing and research firm founded by former Microsoft exec Nathan Myhrvold, will remain an investor in the company.
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But litigation brings all sorts of risks for Myhrvold and Intellectual Ventures.
Intellectual Ventures engages with companies of all sizes to meet their current business needs and provide strategic guidance on forward-thinking intellectual property.
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But former colleagues of Myhrvold and patent experts watching moves at Intellectual Ventures say the firm is less an invention company than a protection company.
The main reason to take Intellectual Ventures seriously is Mr Myhrvold himself.
The real action at Intellectual Ventures is in the acquisition fund.
Indeed, one arm of Intellectual Ventures is focused on pure research.
Intellectual Ventures, a venture capital fund established by a former Microsoft executive, has invested in several start-up companies pursuing solar radiation management technologies.
The lore at Intellectual Ventures has it that Bill Gates asked Myhrvold to set up the company to help defend Microsoft from attacks from patent trolls.
When the Intellectual Ventures crew heard that, their response was amazement.
He spent a decade with that firm, then served as Vice President of Intellectual Ventures before co-founding his new company, Smartsheet, headed by CEO Mark Mader.
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