AOL

News has been circulating that AOL, Inc. is looking for buyers or licensors of its patent portfolio. One of AOL’s top investors has suggested the portfolio is worth, if “appropriately harvested,” more than $1B in licensing income alone. Prospective buyers of the AOL portfolio should remember that Google paid $12.5B for a patent portfolio that has 48% potential commercial impairment. In this case, 71% of AOL’s U.S. patents have potential commercial impairment.