The Principles and Context of the
Valuation of Intangibles
Farok J. Contractor When you can measure what you are
speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know
something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when
you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a
meager and unsatisfactory kind: it may be the beginning of
knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced
to the stage of science.
Company, but only a portion of its assets,
capability, or knowledge, which will be used in
combination with the other firm.
WHEN DO INTANGIBLE ASSETS NEED T BE
VALUED? 1.A company sale, merger, or
acquisition. 2.Sale, purchase, or licensing
of separable assets such as brands,
patents, copyrights, data bases, or
technology. 3.Lawsuits involving
intellectual property infringement. 4.Tax
liability calculations in the context of
transfer of intangible assets and
technology to affiliated firms, possibly in
another nation. 5.Corporate alliances.
6.R&D management.
THE NATURE AND ATTRIBUTES OF INTANGIBLE CORPORATE ASSETS There
are various types of corporate knowledge, these comprise (I) formally
registered Intellectual Property Rights, such as patents or brand names.
(II) Intellectual Assets, which comprise both the above registered
property rights as well as codified but unregistered corporate
knowledge. (III) comprises uncodified Human and Organizational Capital,
or expertise that resides in the thinking of employees and in
organizational routines.