Intellectual Ventures and Atmel Enter License Agreement

 Intellectual Ventures (IV®) and Atmel® (NASDAQ: ATML), a leader in microcontroller and touch technology solutions, announced today that they have entered into an intellectual property license agreement providing Atmel with access to portions of IV’s patent portfolio.

With this license agreement, Atmel becomes one of more than 30 industry-leading customers around the world that recognize the value of a strong IP strategy by working with Intellectual Ventures. The agreement provides Atmel the option of accessing Intellectual Ventures’ IP for Defense program to help minimize risk of future litigation and maintain its focus on innovation.

“We’re happy to have reached an arrangement with Intellectual Ventures, and look forward to other opportunities as we seek value from our own extensive portfolio,” said Scott Wornow, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.

In a recent study commissioned by Intellectual Ventures, 70% of the more than 200 Chief Executive Officers, Chief Financial Officers and Chief Technology Officers surveyed revealed they believe patents are good for innovation.

“Large and small companies alike are beginning to recognize that patents are important to their company’s success,” said Andy Elder, executive vice president Global Licensing Intellectual Ventures. “The positive results of IV’s semiconductor licensing program demonstrate that C-suite executives understand the value of patents.”

IV’s portfolio consists of nearly 40,000 IP assets in more than 50 technology areas. In addition to traditional IP licensing deals, companies can work with IV's in-house inventors as well as its network of more than 4,000 inventors – including individual inventors and inventors from government labs, research institutions, corporations and universities – around the world to solve near-term technical issues and invent the technologies that will differentiate their next-generation products from the competition.