AST says 2026 patent defense program sets record with 70 deals

Allied Security Trust said its 2026 Industry Patent Purchase & Licensing Program closed with 70 selected deals and $5.625 million invested, the strongest result in the program’s 11-year history. The outcome underscores how collaborative buying and group licensing are shaping patent defense for major technology companies and patent owners.

Why it matters: - AST’s 2026 patent defense program set a new benchmark for collaborative patent buying and licensing. - The record level of participation and spending shows member companies are using shared capital to reduce patent risk at scale. - Patent owners also gain a faster route to market through fixed-price purchases and group licensing.

What happened: - Allied Security Trust said voting concluded in its eleventh annual Industry Patent Purchase & Licensing Program, or IP3, at a Sept. 30 session. - Twenty-seven AST member companies reviewed 1,384 accepted lots and selected 70 lots for acquisition or group license. - Members invested $5.625 million across 89 patent families, 137 U.S. patents and 186 active assets. - The selected deals included 41 lots acquired and 29 licensed through group sublicenses. - Transactions are expected to close by the end of 2026.

The details: - IP3 2026 is the most successful program in the program’s 11-year history, with more deals selected and more capital invested than in any prior year. - The $5.625 million investment was up 9% from $5.139 million in IP3 2025 and 34% above $4.2 million in IP3 2024. - The 70 deals were up 49% from 47 in 2025 and above 51 in 2024. - Group sublicenses accounted for 41% of 2026 deals, up from 30% in 2025. - AST’s intake team processed more than 1,500 submissions from over 220 sellers and 30 brokers. - Deal prices ranged from $8,000 to $350,000. - The average price was $80,357 per lot and $63,202 per patent family. - Twenty-seven member companies participated, including Cisco, Google, IBM, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Snap, Sony, Spotify, Uber and Verizon. - Wireless, Telecom & Networking was the most active zone with 19 deals. - Content Distribution & Advertising followed with 10 deals. - Cloud Computing, Hardware & Software, and Semiconductor, Lighting & Optoelectronics each had 9 deals. - Artificial intelligence and machine learning submissions grew 33% to 200 lots, and members selected five AI/ML lots. - Semiconductors was the largest zone with 371 lots, or 27% of submissions, and produced nine deals. - Content distribution, streaming and media-processing lots drew broad co-funding, with 10 deals averaging 3.8 participating members each. - Universities accounted for 36 of the 70 selected lots, or 51%. - Universities and research institutions together submitted 69% of all lots. - On average, 3.6 members shared the cost of each deal.

Between the lines: - The results suggest AST’s collaborative model works best when multiple members see value in the same patent lot. - Group licensing appears to be widening participation by giving buyers and patent owners more flexibility on price and structure. - The strong showing in semiconductors, streaming and AI/ML points to where member companies are focusing defensive patent spending.

What's next: - AST said transactions are expected to close by the end of 2026. - All acquired portfolios will be made available for resale or licensing under AST’s catch-and-release model. - Prospective members, buyers or their representatives can view acquired portfolios at the acquired portfolios page. - Patent owners, universities and brokers can submit lots year-round through AST’s selling page.

The bottom line: - AST’s 2026 program delivered record-scale buying, record spending and broader member collaboration, reinforcing the appeal of pooled patent defense for major technology companies.