As the deputy editor of IAM, I have created a monthly column to report US patent transactions (paywall). Discovering interesting patent transactions can be difficult because of the volume of patent assignments that parties record with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Working with a data provider, I scour a spreadsheet of the transactions, researching companies and eliminating assignments from inventors to their companies and from companies to their subsidiaries. After focusing on patent assignments with large numbers of assets that are true buy-sell transactions, I then research the reasons underpinning each deal. Patent transactions are commonly linked to M&A activity, bankruptcies and liquidations, and patent monetization. I also use AI tools to analyze the list of patent assets involved in the transactions, determining the type of technologies they cover and the products and services that use those technologies. The monthly patent transactions column has earned acumen from IAM readers who can acquire critical intelligence to monitor their competitors’ future technology plans, or pinpoint companies that may sell them patent assets. IAM’s subscription department has used the column to prove to potential subscribers the value that IAM reporting can bring to their business decision-making processes.

Here is an example of my US patent transaction columns: October 2025 US patent transactions (paywall).