November 16, 2020

An IP-driven approach to M&A: How we helped a Fortune 500 company seek out a strategic business partner

An IP-driven approach to M&A: How we helped a Fortune 500 company seek out a strategic business partner

A Fortune 500 global trading and investment company had an idea: a smart, internet-connected medical device for an underserved market. They were seeking a business partner with the technical know-how to develop the concept, and they turned to Patterson + Sheridan to help with their search.

The company knew our firm could help them accomplish two goals at once:


1. Identify potential partners
— Rather than only targeting the obvious industries, our client needed help identifying companies in adjacent technologies that might have IP that could be repurposed to suit their needs, but they did not know how to find those companies. Thanks to Patterson + Sheridan’s breadth of work across a variety of industries, our science-savvy lawyers could think “outside the box,” broadening our search to cover several adjacent technologies that our client had not previously considered.


2. Analyze the risk landscape
— By examining existing intellectual property surrounding the concept, our team could provide insight into what patents already exist and where, so that the company would not run afoul when bringing their own product to market.

Armed with the client’s desired vision and features for the smart device, the Patterson + Sheridan team conducted a global search, specifically targeting several countries identified as potentially viable markets for the product, while also performing an IP risk assessment along the way.

Our lawyers had to get creative, analyzing product sectors from medical devices for humans and animals to inkjet printers and more. After pouring through thousands of documents, we ranked the most viable candidates and presented the client with nearly two dozen companies possessing relevant intellectual property. (Several of the candidates would never have been identified if not for our extensive audit of published IP and patent portfolios.)

The result? Our client has since approached these companies to arrange exploratory meetings, and they’ve received numerous responses from both small and large businesses alike. Plus, they’re equipped with an IP risk analysis that will allow them to navigate the R&D process strategically moving forward.

At Patterson + Sheridan, we’re skilled lawyers with a knack for the hard sciences. We’re not just patent attorneys and litigators — we’re engineers and creative thinkers with backgrounds in chemistry, computer sciences, biotech and beyond. So what can our lawyers do for you?


Associated attorneys: Gero McClellan, Carleton Clauss


Associated practices: Consumer Products


Related Team:

Carleton Clauss

Partner

Gero G. McClellan

Partner