Abstract
Acacia Research, which has made a name for itself pursuing patent infringement lawsuits, has acquired Global Patent Holdings, an umbrella company whose holdings represent numerous high-tech patents. One of Global Patent's companies, TechSearch, has already entered into licensing deals with companies including Sony and Samsung. Previously, Acacia has threatened or taken legal action against a range of companies, alleging patent infringement for technologies that stream media over the Web. Targets of that legislation have included pornography Web sites, the Walt Disney Company, and colleges and universities that use streaming media in online education. Acacia said the new acquisition will expand its patent holdings to cover dozens of technologies, or parts of them, including those related to P2P communication and spreadsheet software. Paul Ryan, CEO of Acacia, said, "We will continue to acquire additional portfolios, as Acacia moves towards its goal of becoming the leading technology licensing company."Analysts said Acacia's business model of acquiring patents and earning revenues through licenses represents a growing trend in the technology industry.