— Data hub · IP registries
IP registries for intangible asset valuation
• Part 1 of 4 · WIPO
• Part 2 of 4 · USPTO
PATENTSCOPE for patents and PCT applications, the Global Brand Database for trademarks and the Global Design Database for designs.
Patent Public Search, trademark search and the assignment records for recorded ownership transfers.
• Part 3 of 4 · EUIPO
• Part 4 of 4 · Terms
European Union
Free public records
eSearch plus for EU trade marks and designs; TMview and DesignView cover many national and regional offices.
Free to search. Record the register, search date and legal status of each right.
■ IP registries · What to check
Verifying the right before valuing it
IVS 210 asks the valuer to identify the intangible asset being valued. For registered rights, the register is the primary evidence of existence, ownership and duration.
Existence and ownership
Scope and duration
Registered owner: confirm that the legal owner matches the entity in the scope of work.
Territories: list where the right is protected; a US patent does not protect other markets.
Assignments: check recorded transfers and security interests in the assignment records.
Dates: filing, grant or registration, and expiry dates set the remaining legal life.
Status: in force, lapsed, opposed, cancelled or under litigation.
Classes: the classes of goods and services define the field a trademark protects.
Licences: recorded licences may limit the owner's exclusive use.
Families: patent families and citations show the breadth and technical relevance of an invention.
Example: a brand registered in 12 countries but used in 20 limits royalty-bearing revenue to the protected markets, or calls for a separate view on unregistered rights.
Practice tip: save a register extract with the search date for each right in the working papers.
■ IP registries · Search tools
Where to search
Start with the WIPO global databases for broad coverage, then confirm details in the register of the office that granted the right.
WIPO
National and regional
PATENTSCOPE: international (PCT) applications and national patent collections, with full-text search.
USPTO Patent Public Search: full text of US patents and published applications.
Global Brand Database: trademarks from national, regional and international (Madrid) collections.
USPTO trademark and assignment search: status and recorded ownership of US rights.
Global Design Database: industrial designs under the Hague System and national collections.
EUIPO eSearch plus: EU trade marks and registered Community designs.
Coverage varies: not every national office contributes data, so absence from a global database is not proof.
TMview and DesignView: combined search across many national and regional offices.
Example: the valuer finds a patent family in PATENTSCOPE, then confirms US status and assignments in the USPTO records.
Practice tip: rely on the official register of the granting office for legal status; global databases can lag.
■ IP registries · In valuation
How register data feeds the valuation
Register data sets limits on the assumptions used in the income approach for intangible assets.
Life and territory
Methods
Legal life caps economic life: the useful life in a model should not exceed remaining legal protection unless renewal is expected.
Relief-from-royalty: royalty-bearing revenue is limited to protected territories and products.
Renewals: trademarks can be renewed indefinitely; patents generally cannot be extended beyond the statutory term.
MPEEM: contributory asset charges need lives consistent with the other assets.
Territory split: revenue by country helps match revenue to protection.
Cost approach: filing and prosecution costs are inputs for the reproduction cost of a portfolio.
Encumbrances: licences and security interests can reduce the value to the owner.
Tax: the tax amortisation benefit depends on the jurisdiction where the right is held.
Example: a patent with six years of legal life left is modelled for at most six years, even if the product is expected to sell for ten.
Practice tip: explain any difference between legal life and the economic life used.
■ IP registries · Royalty evidence
Royalty rate evidence
Registers prove that a right exists; they do not show royalty rates. Royalty evidence comes from licence agreements and specialist databases.
Free evidence
Commercial databases
SEC EDGAR: licence agreements filed as exhibits to US filings; see the Valuvix SEC EDGAR guide.
Specialist databases include ktMINE, RoyaltySource, RoyaltyRange, RoyaltyStat and Markables; a subscription is required.
Court decisions: published damages decisions sometimes disclose royalty rates.
Valuvix lists these providers for information only and has no relationship with any of them.
Company disclosures: annual reports may disclose royalty income or licence terms.
Comparability: check industry, exclusivity, territory, term and stage of development.
Profit check: compare an implied royalty with the operating margin the licensee could earn.
Transparency: document the search criteria and the agreements rejected.
Example: three licence agreements for similar consumer brands show 3% to 5% of net sales; the valuer selects 4% after adjusting for territory and exclusivity.
Practice tip: test the selected royalty rate against the licensee's expected operating margin.
✱ Source and attribution
Information from WIPO, the USPTO and the EUIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization: PATENTSCOPE, Global Brand Database and Global Design Database. United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patent Public Search. European Union Intellectual Property Office: eSearch plus. Valuvix links to the official registers and does not reproduce their records.
Related Valuvix calculators: Brand Value, Technology RFR, MPEEM, R&D Capitalisation.