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Ankura is distinguished by its collaborative approach; its experts and advisers, who come from many different walks of life, link up seamlessly to deliver solutions to the most complex problems. This works well in the IP sphere, in which the firm’s experts demonstrate sophisticated expertise with respect to the assessment, valuation and management of IP assets on a global basis, along with refined skills in the courtroom. Senior managing directors David Yurkerwich, Michael Lasinski, Kevin Arst and Walter Vandaele anchor the outfit. Part of what makes them all so effective in a disputes setting is their well-rounded view of patents, cultivated through extensive engagement in valuation practice.
Ankura Consulting Group is a global consultancy with more than 1,600 professionals based in offices in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. We doubled the size of our IP consulting practice with our acquisition of 284 Partners LLC in late 2019.
The focus of the IP practice is valuation, economic and data analysis, and expert testimony in national and global disputes. Our experts have been involved in some of the highest-stakes controversies and significant transactions, including patent and trademark infringement, theft of trade secrets, licensing disputes, tax disputes, bankruptcies and breach of contract matters. They assist clients with the challenges and opportunities associated with assessing, valuing and managing IP assets in today’s global innovation economy. They combine timely competitive information and state-of-the-art valuation methodologies using advanced data and analytical tools to deliver practical business solutions.
Our clients include many of the Fortune 1000 companies and the law firms they select to represent them. We are hired not just because of our track record in the courtroom, but also because of our deep experience in managing and transacting the types of assets we are valuing when providing our expert opinions. For decades we have been active in helping companies buy, sell, license out, license in and, when necessary, help enforce IP rights or defend their businesses. This out-of-the-courtroom experience is invaluable when explaining our opinions to juries and other triers of fact. This ‘real world’ transactions experience is one of the reasons we are retained together with our in-depth analysis, understanding of the entire case (not just our part), ability to communicate our opinions and, ultimately, the results we help deliver.
While we are active in all types of IP matters, our experts are leaders in economic and data analysis and royalty rate determination for standard-essential patents, which are subject to fair, reasonable and non-discrimination (FRAND) encumbrances. These matters have been ongoing in the semiconductor, electronics and mobile device industries and have recently moved to the automotive and Internet of Things industries. We help companies determine FRAND rates in US and international litigation, arbitration, licensing-in and licensing-out negotiations, as well as other settings.
We also work closely with inventors, owners and attorneys to assess patentability and markets for technologies to build and maintain competitive IP portfolios. We actively negotiate IP-based transactions, and structure and manage joint development, licensing and enforcement activities.
We have been involved in IP matters in virtually every industry, including automotive, telecommunications (including mobile devices, infrastructure and service providers), electronics, semiconductors, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, food and beverages, publishing, oil and gas, and entertainment.
Our experts and the people that support them have held and currently hold key roles in many industry associations. Some of those include the Licensing Executives Society (LES) United States and Canada, LES International, Intellectual Property Owners Association, American Bar Association (IP Section) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (and similar state societies). We also are certified licensing professionals, certified public accountants, certified valuation analysts and certified in financial forensics. We have been qualified as experts in federal, state, tax, bankruptcy and international courts, as well as arbitration proceedings and at the International Trade Commission. Members of our team have been recognised in the IAM Patent 1000 and IAM Strategy 300 by their clients and peers for over a decade.
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