.jpg)
CBOE Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBOE) today announced its investment,through an affiliate, in the Intellectual Property Exchange International (IPXI), the first financial exchange focused on intellectual property. In addition, CBOE Executive Vice President Richard DuFour was named to IPXI’s board of directors.
Funding by CBOE and other investors should allow IPXI to build out its infrastructure and to facilitate the issuance of Unit License Right™ (ULR) contracts in 2012. ULR contracts will be designed to allow intellectual property owners to monetize their patents using standardized contracts and transparent pricing, versus traditional bilateral licensing of patents.
“With a history of product innovation, CBOE recognized the potential for IPXI’s vision for trading intellectual property products,” said CBOE Executive Vice President Richard DuFour. “Intellectual property has an estimated $9 trillion market value, making it one of the largest U.S. asset classes. The creation of standardized contracts should bring tremendous efficiencies to both buyers and sellers of intellectual property, much like CBOE’s introduction of exchange-traded options did in 1973. CBOE’s investment reflects our desire to be in on the ground floor of IPXI’s effort.”
For more information on Intellectual Property Exchange International, go to www.ipxi.com.
