Furthermore, Zacks notes that through its joint ventures, IP has significant projects under way in China and Russia, which it believes will help the company sustain its earnings growth.

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And the first rumblings of a rights-management system for controlling the sharing of physical things are appearing: The IP-hoarding firm Intellectual Ventures received a patent in October for a 3-D printer feature that blocks the creation of verboten objects.

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Intellectual Ventures claims to own 30, 000 IP assets and its investors include operating companies like Apple, Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Nokia, and financial investors like Cornell University and Charles River Ventures.

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