The group of companies was headquartered in Australia and had been distributing paper in Europe since the 1600s. The Group successfully established a presence in the UK paper market through a number of acquisitions in the 1990s and its operations were underpinned by a robust framework of product stewardship, including a Global Supply Chain Policy and certifications from both the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and the Forest Stewardship Council.
We were engaged by Deloitte, who was appointed as Administrator for the five companies within the Group, to assist with the marketing, negotiation and sale of the IP assets, in order that Deloitte could maximize the recovery for creditors in this public proceeding.
We adopted our Metisology® approach to discover, catalogue and highlight the areas of significant value within the IP portfolio owned by the Group. The extensive IP portfolio, contained in excess of 200 trademarks; 50 domain names, website content; more than 50 brands including 9 corporate brands, 25 product brands and7 service brands.
Using our unique IP experience, we created separately identifiable ‘IP bundles’ for sale to attract more potential buyers and ensure a higher recovery. We marketed the IP assets in these ‘bundles’, showcasing the commercial opportunities that existed behind each of the brands.
We leveraged our relationships with major media partners to gain broad press coverage across industry publications. Our marketing campaign resulted in multiple offers.
Metis Partners liaised with key parties to preserve and recover IP value including with:
- trademark and domain name agents, to ensure only critical TM renewals were funded;
- qualified interested parties, in order to both understand their interests and provide advice on the deal structure prior to legal completion; and
- lawyers of multiple purchasers and of the client, to ensure successful legal completion.
We managed deal completions with more than 10 parties from countries across Europe and coordinated each deal to produce numerous agreements for both outright sales and perpetual licences, providing sufficient protection for our Client, Deloitte.
IP Assets Sold – Brands & Trade Mark Portfolio, Domain Portfolio, Websites & Content.
