RPX Completes Syndicated Transaction with Graphics Properties Holdings
January 24, 2013
RPX Corporation (NASDAQ: RPXC), a leading provider of patent risk management solutions, announced that it has completed a syndicated patent acquisition and licensing transaction with Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc., formerly Silicon Graphics, Inc. Silicon Graphics was highly regarded for its innovations in the field of 3D graphics rendering and graphics processing. The GPH portfolio covers display technology used in smartphones, tablets, personal computers, media players and other devices.
In the transaction, which closed in December, RPX secured licenses under the GPH patent portfolio, as well as dismissals from pending patent litigation for nine RPX clients that participated in the syndicate. RPX also acquired more than 180 GPH patents that were not yet in litigation, as well as the right to acquire licenses under the litigation patents for prospective RPX clients. The transaction creates value for the broader RPX client network by removing the threat of significant patents from the marketplace.
“This structured transaction, our sixteenth to date, is a direct result of RPX’s unique position in the patent market,” said John A. Amster, Chief Executive of RPX. “By working together with our clients, RPX built a syndicate that cleared patent risk without protracted, expensive, and risky litigation. RPX‘s strong client network and significant syndicated transaction expertise are essential to making such transactions possible.”
Patent assertions related to graphics display portfolios have more than doubled each year since 2010, reflecting the proliferation of display technologies vital to a wide spectrum of consumer electronics. As the demand for graphics and flat panel technologies continue to rise, NPE activity and the associated patent risks have increased.
As of September 30, 2012, RPX had invested over $500 million to acquire more than 2,950 US and international patent assets and rights, and had a client network of 128 members active in seven key sectors: consumer electronics and PCs, E-commerce and software, financial services, media content and distribution, mobile communications and devices, networking, and semiconductors.