On the QT
BROKERAGE IP ASSET SALE
EXPLANAR GOLF TRAINING AID
This is a unique opportunity to buy the internationally recognised golf training brand Explanar and related intellectual property rights. The brand is uniquely placed in the golf training aid market and has outstanding professional endorsement in its association with 2009 USPGA winner Y.E.Yang, who used Explanar for two years as part of his winning training programme. Endorsements have been provided by the world’s finest coaches including Butch Harmon, the coach of Phil Mickelson, Jim Mclean, the coach of Sergio Garcia, and Martin Hall the 2008 PGA teacher of the year.
The sale includes multinational patents protecting the innovative golf system the Company has developed. The sale also includes a number of internationally registered trademarks protecting the brand and its products.
Explanar is soon to be featured on the popular UK TV series “The Gadget Show” on Channel 5 on Monday November 28th at 8pm (soon to be available on Demand5 at www.channel5.com/demand5).
The Explanar system, perceived to be the world’s number one golf training aid, has benefitted from significant media exposure via the internet with numerous Youtube videos and adverts.
Explanar IP assets for sale include:
• Rights in the associated goodwill in the Explanar brand
• 14 registered trademarks
• 14 granted patents and 3 patent applications worldwide
• Website and Domain name at www.explanar.com
METIS PARTNERS' RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS
We are pleased to announce that Metis Partners' Corporate Recovery team has won the award for Asset Valuer / Auctioneer of the Year at this year's Insolvency & Rescue Awards. The award recognises the returns secured from our IP Asset Brokerage services, whereby we have recovered almost £5m for insolvency practitioners from the sale of IP assets, which include the sale of MFI, Land of Leather, PWB Health and Realtime Worlds.
Upcoming Events: Metis Partners' founder Stephen Robertson is delighted to have been invited to speak at the Business of Intellectual Property Asia Forum (BIP Asia) 2011. This prestigious event brings together over 400 IP owners, buyers and sellers, R&D professionals, finance and legal intermediaries as well as other influencers in the world of IP. Stephen will be sharing his views on building profitable IP asset portfolios and negotiating IP asset deals. The event, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Design Centre, will be held on the 2nd December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Find out more and register here.
Metis Partners is Recruiting: We currently have a vacancy available which is detailed below. If you are interested in the role please send your CV to luisa.robertson2@btinternet.com.
Wealth Wheel: Metis Partners has joined forces with two of the UK's leading IP experts to create the Wealth Wheel, which aims to improve the wealth of businesses across the country. Along with R&D tax specialists Jumpstart and patent & trade mark attorneys Harrison Goddard Foote, we have already hosted seminars in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee showing businesses and entrepreneurs how they can enter the Wealth Wheel and benefit from a free IP assessment. We will keep you posted with details of our next event.
IP Talking Shop: On the 28th July we hosted the inaugural IP Talking Shop at the Brian Maule at the Chardon D’or restaurant. Successful entrepreneur Pat Kennedy, founder and CEO of Cellport, “a US company at the forefront of the licensing of patented technology for automotive telecommunications since the early 1990s” and author of "Ideajacked", took the reigns of speaker at the dinner. To commence the evening, Pat shared his journey and experiences of licensing his technology, describing how he maintained focus throughout his career and revealing the long-term financial benefits and pitfalls of investing in patent protection. His presentation was followed by a lively intellectual discussion amongst the attendees (other entrepreneurs and senior figures in IP) which was centred on their unique experiences and views of intellectual property.
Metis in the Press: Metis Partners recently featured in Business Insider's recent IP and Intellectual Assets report which you can read on the Business Insider website by clicking here or viewing the document below.
Baltic Intellectual Property: Metis Partners has invested in Baltic IP, a real-time online platform that provides a link between the Baltic States universities, technology transfer offices and international companies. The platform enables commercialisation opportunities between corporates with new technologies. Baltic IP will be launching this October with an open innovation competition run by Metis Partners, which invites new business and technology ideas from Latvian research institutions.
IAM 250: The Founder and Director of Metis Partners, Stephen Robertson has been acknowledged as one of the Worlds Leading IP Strategists by IAM Magazine. The publication identifies individuals who offer world-class strategic IP business advice to IP owning companies.
IP Business Congress: Stephen was delighted to have been invited to speak at the IP Business Congress in San Francisco this June. Leading thought leaders from the worlds of IP business and finance attended the event and Stephen is was pleased to join them there.
Previous Events: Metis Partners and 9-20 Recruitment recently had the pleasure of hosting an event with a number of software industry entrepreneurs. Founder and former director of Memex, David Carrick gave an intriguing account of the period prior to the sale of his company. He described the preparation, hard work and decisions that needed to be made and the mechanics of the deal itself which provided attendees with plenty of “food for thought” when considering their own businesses and the effort and planning required to get into shape for growth/exit. Please click on the Document 'Expert Views from "Trials and tribulations of selling a successful software company" - 10 May 2011' for more details.
Metis in the Press: Stephen, recently featured in Business 7's Incubator item. To read the article please click here.
Brokerage: Metis Partners are currently marketing the following IP assets. If you would like to find out more about any of these assets please get in touch.
On behalf of Dixons Retail plc:
Miranda: Established over 50 years ago Miranda is a globally recognised in relation to camera and photographic equipment. It was originally created by the Japanese Orion Camera Company who used the name for their camera products. In 1981 the brand and associated trademarks were acquired by Dixons Retail Plc who continued to use Miranda to brand a number of cameras and other related products including tripods, flashguns and latterly MP3 players. IP assets included in the sale include 20 Registered Trade Marks and rights in the associated Goodwill in Miranda.
Saisho: Created by Dixons Retail Plc in 1982, Saisho has become a house-hold name in relation to its consumer technology product line. Many audio, TV and video products were branded with the Saisho name including: multimedia players, dictation equipment, radios, hi-fi systems, docking systems, televisions (small screen flat panel), DVD players, telephones, fax machines and headphones. IP assets for sale include 16 registered trademarks protecting the Saisho brand and rights in the associated Goodwill in Saisho.
We are also marketing the following IP assets:
iQ Workforce is an innovative, easy to use software tool "designed for contractors by contractors". The software tool was created to meet a wide range of contractors' scheduling needs using a unique electonic whiteboard with instant "drag and drop" scheduling of resources and complete job lifecycle management. Functions of the software include job scheduling and costing, electronic document management and vehicle tracking. Included in the sale are the script and source codes for the software, as well as domain names and website content. Click here to view the iQ Workforce website.
Corporate Recovery: Metis Partners continues to provide our innovative service for insolvency practitioners across the UK through the cataloguing, marketing and sale of IP assets from insolvent companies. Recent successful deals have included:
Mongoose Cricket: Specialised in the design and manufacture of professional cricket bats (including MMi3 and CoR3). The bats were designed for twenty twenty cricket and have been used in the professional game. The bats have also been endorsed by professional players including Dwayne Smith.
IP assets sold: PCT Applications, Trade Marks, Registered Designs, Domain Names and Organisational Knowledge
Land of Leather: A leading UK furniture retail business specialising in the sale of leather sofas. Land of Leather is a household name throughout the UK.
IP assets sold: Trade Marks and Domain Names
Vergo Retail: Owners of a number of well-known department stores and several corresponding brands such as the iconic Lewis’s of Liverpool store, Owen Owen, Joplings of Sunderland and Derrys of Plymouth.
IP assets sold: Trade Marks and Domain Names
PWB Health: Developers of the patented medical device Breastlight, which was retailed throughout Boots stores nationally and 12 countries internationally. The hand-held device is designed to assist women with breast self-examination for breast cancer.
IP asset sold: Granted UK Patent, PCT Application, Trade Marks, Registered Design Rights, Domain Names and Website Content
Due Diligence: Metis Partners supported the Clydesdale Bank with their recent investment in Touch Bionics. This follows on from similar work completed for the bank's investments in Red Spider Technology and Cascade Technologies. Metis Partners' analysis and reports supplemented the bank's internal detailed risk assessment process, providing it with additional and independent insight into the security of and potential future value of the company's IP assets.