Lycos, one of the early pioneers of search engines, recently announced that it is selling its “large portfolio of innovative-patented technologies ranging from search engine technology to on-line advertising and online gaming.”
In announcing the sale, Lycos became the latest example of what some have dubbed “zombie companies”: companies that appear to be dead in the marketplace but nevertheless survive for one last breath by selling their patent portfolios. These patents will have one of two fates: They will either be sold to an entity intent on utilizing them as offensive weapons to extract licensing fees or litigation victories against alleged infringers, or bought for defensive purposes as a potential “mutually assured destruction” deterrent or to pre-emptively remove them from potential adversaries’ arsenals.
The Dawn of the Dead
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