Managing intellectual property ready for sale

Adamson Jones worked with long-standing client, Monica Healthcare to provide strategic advice to maximise the value of its intellectual property (IP) portfolio in readiness for acquisition.

About Monica Healthcare

Drawing on over 25 years of research, expert knowledge and collaborations with leading hospitals, Monica Healthcare is a spin-out from Nottingham University that was formed in 2005. The company is dedicated to improving the birth experience and enhancing obstetric care through wearable wireless foetal monitoring devices. The team at Adamson Jones has worked with Monica healthcare since 2008, when we initially provided advice on their trademarks. In 2014, Monica Healthcare consolidated its intellectual property (IP) portfolio and transferred all its IP work to Adamson Jones.

A long-standing relationship

We worked with Monica Healthcare, providing advice and support across a range of areas, including: trademarks, patent prospecting, drafting and filing patent applications, managing their extensive patent family portfolio across the UK, US, Europe, Australia, Canada, China, Japan and Russia, providing international freedom-to-operate analyses and risk assessments. We also worked with the management team to provide broader commercial and strategic IP advice.

Adding value

In 2017 the decision was made to sell Monica Healthcare. For Monica Healthcare, IP is the foundation of the company and effective management is vital. Adamson Jones’ expertise in medical devices and software ensured we could effectively provide strategic advice to help maximize the value of the IP portfolio. Leading up to the acquisition Monica Healthcare’s IP portfolio underwent close scrutiny as part of a due diligence exercise. Adamson Jones assisted through this process to ensure that any complex IP enquiries could be answered clearly and confidently.

Preparing for sale

When preparing for sale it is vital that the company has an integrated and joined-up approach. To help with this Adamson Jones had regular meetings with both the Board and others involved in the IP landscape of the company, to ensure everyone was working towards the same goal –underpinning the value in the business. We also provided advice on managing costs, as well as keeping a close watch on competitor patent activity to assess any actions, which could have the potential to impact Monica Healthcare’s value.

1. Meetings with those involved in the IP landscape .
2.  Managing costs.
3. Monitoring competitor patent activity.

The outcome

In March 2017, Monica Healthcare were acquired by GE Healthcare for an undisclosed sum. Joining GE Healthcare has provided an opportunity for Monica Healthcare to bring together their technology with GE Healthcare’s global infrastructure to provide even stronger capabilities and solutions to customers around the world.