Kevin Jakel, Founder and CEO of Unified Patents.Unified Patents Finds an Investor as 5G Licensing Looms
WestView Capital takes a majority stake as Unified looks to scale up plans for deterring patent abuse.
December 26, 2019 at 07:12 PM
3 minute read
With 5G connectivity set to roll out to new industries, Unified Patents sees a growth opportunity in its mission of deterring patent abuse.
Owners Kevin Jakel and Shawn Ambwani have sold a majority stake in Unified to WestView Capital Partners as Unified scales up to meet 5G and other challenges.
Just as automotive is grappling with 4G/LTE patents, many new industries that don't have experience with wireless licensing will be adopting 5G in coming years. "That's a whole new group of companies we can talk to about joining as full-fledged members," said Ambwani, the company's chief operating officer.
The Justice Department and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office formally announced just last week that they will no longer formally oppose the imposition of injunctions for infringement of standard-essential patents. While the precise impact of the new policy is unclear, "it definitely doesn't make things easier for licensees," Ambwani said.
Unified is currently supported by dues from some 250 subscriber companies ranging from startups to technology giants, which it groups into technology "zones." Unified challenges the validity of what it considers low quality patents that pose threats to those zones.
It has filed 39 petitions for inter partes review in 2019, making it the fifth most frequent filer at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The 15-employee company also provides data, analytics, prior art, essentiality studies and invalidity contests. It may add consulting services for companies facing licensing demands over 5G patents, Ambwani said.
Jakel, Unified's founder and CEO, and Ambwani had owned nearly 100% of the company. As part of WestView's investment, general partner Jonathan Hunnicutt and vice president Jeff Clark will join Unified's board of directors. Financial terms were not disclosed.
WestView holds investments in a wide-ranging portfolio of mid-market technology-oriented companies. They include KLDiscovery, a provider of eDiscovery management solutions.
"We are excited to partner with WestView—it marks a milestone for Unified, and we look forward to driving our next chapter of growth together," Jakel said in a news release. "Unified is dedicated to continuing the deterrence work we pioneered while partnering with WestView on new growth initiatives."
"Our investment in Unified reflects WestView's longstanding commitment to partnering with leading companies led by strong and passionate entrepreneurs," Hunnicutt said in the news release. "Kevin, Shawn and their team have built a company and philosophy that the industry has embraced."
Unified was advised by D.A. Davidson & Co. and GCA Advisors on the deal. Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo provided legal counsel, with Boston partner Gregory Fine taking the lead. WestView was represented by a Latham & Watkins led by Boston-based partners Ryan McCarthy and Hans Brigham.
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