BlueCat Networks Signs Patent Agreement With Intellectual Ventures
TORONTO and BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 28, 2011 — BlueCat Networks and Intellectual Ventures (IV®) announced today that BlueCat Networks has acquired patents from IV to protect its core business and has become a customer in IV’s IP for Defense program.
BlueCat Networks announced it acquired patents from Intellectual Ventures (IV) and joined IV’s IP for Defense program to protect its core IP Address Management (IPAM) business amid competitor litigation. The move provides BlueCat access to IV’s portfolio of over 35,000 intellectual property assets to support counter-assertion, reduce litigation risk, and enable more efficient negotiations so the company can remain focused on innovation and delivering scalable DNS, DHCP and IPAM solutions. The agreement aims to safeguard BlueCat’s market position—where it holds a Strong Positive Gartner 2011 rating—while enabling continued support for real-world operational needs like IPv6 transition, DNSSEC, service rollout acceleration, and data center consolidation.
Why did BlueCat Networks acquire patents from Intellectual Ventures and join the IP for Defense program?
BlueCat Networks acquired patents from Intellectual Ventures and joined IV’s IP for Defense program to protect its core business after being targeted by competitor litigation. The program gives BlueCat access to IV’s portfolio of more than 35,000 intellectual property assets, enabling counter-assertion and more efficient negotiations to reduce liabilities. This defensive IP strategy is intended to allow BlueCat to remain focused on product innovation and compete based on its IPAM products, pricing, and services without distraction from legal attacks.
How does this agreement help BlueCat’s customers and the technical environments they operate?
By strengthening its intellectual property position through IV’s patent portfolio, BlueCat aims to ensure uninterrupted development and support of its IPAM solutions, which help organizations manage DNS, DHCP and IP address space. The company’s appliances and software are designed to assist real-world operational needs such as transitioning to IPv6, implementing DNSSEC, accelerating service rollouts, optimizing branch office core services, and supporting data center virtualization and consolidation. Maintaining product focus and market stability helps customers rely on BlueCat for scalable, resilient IP core services and centralized management of network addressing.
What capabilities does Intellectual Ventures provide through its IP for Defense program?
Intellectual Ventures provides access to a large patent portfolio—over 35,000 intellectual property assets—and works with customers to structure IP solutions tailored to their business needs. For organizations accused of patent infringement, IV’s IP for Defense program supports counter-assertion using its assets, enabling more efficient negotiations to reduce liabilities and achieve favorable licensing terms. IV also collaborates with inventors and companies to invest expertise and capital into invention, offering licensing and defensive IP strategies to help proven technology companies defend their market position.
TORONTO and BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 28, 2011 — BlueCat Networks and Intellectual Ventures (IV®) announced today that BlueCat Networks has acquired patents from IV to protect its core business and has become a customer in IV’s IP for Defense program. Under the program, BlueCat Networks can acquire additional patents from IV’s portfolio of more than 35,000 intellectual property assets. The deal marks the latest in a series of new customers for IV across multiple industries, ranging from emerging companies to established global technology giants.
“BlueCat Networks has enjoyed tremendous success having recently received the highest possible rating in Gartner’s 2011 MarketScope for DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management” said Michael Hyatt, co-founder and CEO of BlueCat Networks. “We’ve earned this success by investing in quality people and technology, and by winning numerous large deals, which has made us a target in the marketplace. Unfortunately, a competitor has chosen to use litigation to slow us down rather than keep pace. This agreement with IV provides us with the intellectual property strategy and assets to defend our business and compete in the marketplace based on our best-in-class IP Address Management (IPAM) products, pricing and services. We will continue to innovate and provide the best IPAM software solutions on the market without distraction.”
“This agreement is a great example of how IV can help proven, innovative companies like BlueCat Networks defend their business and remain focused on making great products,” said Joe Chernesky, VP and general manager, global licensing sales at IV. “Every company has unique business needs that demand intellectual property solutions, which is why IV works with customers to help them gain access to our portfolio and unique capabilities in a way that makes sense for their business.”
BlueCat Networks’ IPAM solutions provide an essential technology for helping organizations address the transition to IPv6, reduce IT management costs, launch new services and manage network growth and change. BlueCat Networks’ appliances incorporate the latest specifications for greater scalability, enhanced hardware resiliency and lights-out management.
With a portfolio of more than 35,000 intellectual property assets, IV combines the scale and expertise to structure solutions that help companies strengthen their market position. For customers accused of patent infringement by their competitors, IV’s IP for Defense program provides them with access to IV’s intellectual property assets to support counter-assertion, enabling more efficient negotiations to reduce liabilities and achieve favorable licensing terms.
About BlueCat Networks
BlueCat Networks is a leading provider of smart, simple, scalable IP Address Management (IPAM) solutions. With tightly integrated IP core services, our software solutions give organizations the power to centrally manage “everything IP” in their network from a single pane of glass. The result is a dynamic network that is more resilient, cost-effective and easier to manage.
Rated in the highest “Strong Positive” category in the Gartner 2011 MarketScope for DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management, BlueCat Networks’ feature-rich and future-ready solutions have helped Global 2000 companies and government agencies reduce costs and solve today’s most critical IT challenges – from accelerating the rollout of new services and optimizing core services in the branch office to data center virtualization and consolidation. We also help organizations manage growth and change by easing the transition to new technologies such as IPv6 and DNS Security (DNSSEC).
For more information, visit https://bluecatnetworks.com/.
About Intellectual Ventures
Founded in 2000, Intellectual Ventures (IV) is the global leader in the business of invention. IV collaborates with leading inventors, partners with pioneering companies, and invests both expertise and capital in the process of invention. IV’s mission is to energize and streamline an invention economy that will drive innovation around the world. www.intellectualventures.com
For more information, press only:
BlueCat Networks:
Telephone: (416) 760-0100, [email protected]
Intellectual Ventures:
For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]. For all other inquiries, please contact [email protected] or follow IV on Twitter at @IVinvents.
Intellectual Ventures is a registered trademark of Intellectual Ventures Management, LLC (IV). Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Proteus, Adonis, IPAM Intelligence, IPAM for Everyone and BlueCat Networks are trademarks of BlueCat Networks, Inc. and/or BlueCat Networks (USA) Inc. Other products mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.