Our managing partner, Geraldine Noel, was acknowledged by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) as being the first ever recipient of a grant for a trademark for virtual goods and services, during her employment with the world’s first virtual sports gaming world (an MMORPG).
No matter how small or big your IP portfolio, from once-off transactions to heavy-weight portfolios, Acumum’s IP services are always cost-effective and tailored to your business objectives.
What is Intellectual property (IP)?
IP includes trademarks, patents, image rights, design, database, moral rights and copyright
Intellectual Property (IP) is now an essential asset of many businesses, and contributes significantly to a business’s book value.
Through its creation, maintenance, and via strategic royalty routing to achieve effective tax reductions, a business can capitalise on its IP’s true asset potential.
In its many forms, patents, copyright, trademarks, domain names, industrial design, service marks, database rights or goodwill, IP is usually created and designed as part of an overall brand creation strategy, directing and protecting your business lines, products and services.
Whether you are trading in the virtual or real world, Acumum can help you achieve your IP’s true potential.
Global perspective, global reach
Just like your business’s reach, we employ a global perspective to IP and can help you to develop a portfolio to protect your business across international markets.
Acumum can provide you with a variety of IP services, including:
- Creation, registration and maintenance of IP portfolios
- IP search and monitoring
- Licensing of R&D development, technology transfer and distribution
- Structuring of royalty routing
- Securitisation and monetisation
- Audits and forensic accounting
- Contract compliance
- Dispute resolution
- Prosecution and litigation
- Creation, registration and maintenance of IP portfolios
- IP search and monitoring
- Licensing of R&D development, technology transfer and distribution
- Structuring of royalty routing
- Securitisation and monetisation
- Audits and forensic accounting
- Contract compliance
- Dispute resolution
- Prosecution and litigation
IP Royalty audit, why have one?
Due to the complexity of licence agreements and trade practices, the calculation of royalties due on such agreements can result in costly mistakes, resulting in the loss of royalty income.
Costly mistakes that can occur:
- Understated royalty rates
- Unreported sales units/money
- Overstated expenses deducted from royalties
- Excessive free goods, reducing royalties paid
- Unpaid royalty rate ‘bumps’ for gold and platinum sales
- Accounting system errors resulting in underpaid/unpaid royalties
Such mistakes can result in the accrual of penalty clauses, misunderstandings and litigation.
Who should be interested in an IP audit?
Anyone who is either a producer (licensor) or beneficiary (licensee) of rights, such as:
- Artists
- Record companies
- Venture capital (VC) and other investors
- Computer games companies
- Distributors
- Copyright societies
- Book publishers
International operations: Transfer pricing
With our background in multinational operations, Acumum can advise your business in respect of OECD’s transfer pricing policies as part of our overall review of your IP restructuring, and IP royalties routing, as it relates to your associated companies in other jurisdictions.
Malta’s IP treaty memberships
Malta is a signatory to all major IP treaties. These include:
- Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and
- Artistic Works (1964)
- Paris Convention for the Protection of IP (1967)
- Universal Copyright Convention (1968)
- WIPO Agreement (1977)
- WTO TRIPS Agreement (1995)
- Patent Cooperation Treaty (2007)
- European Patent Convention (2007)
- Accession to the WCT & WPPT (2008)
- Accession to the Madrid Protocol (2009)
Whatever your budget and commercial objectives, Acumum can provide added value to your business’s assets and book value.
- Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and
- Artistic Works (1964)
- Paris Convention for the Protection of IP (1967)
- Universal Copyright Convention (1968)
- WIPO Agreement (1977)
- WTO TRIPS Agreement (1995)
- Patent Cooperation Treaty (2007)
- European Patent Convention (2007)
- Accession to the WCT & WPPT (2008)
- Accession to the Madrid Protocol (2009)
Whatever your budget and commercial objectives, Acumum can provide added value to your business’s assets and book value.
