Brian Yates

Brian Yates, founder and Chief Executive Officer of iPEL, Inc., has been named Patent Licensing & Monetisation Expert of the Year Globally at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards. The recognition acknowledges his role in reshaping how patented technologies are licensed and commercialised, and his advocacy for a more principled approach to the way non-practising entities operate in the global patent market.

Mr Yates founded iPEL in May 2017 together with patent litigator Rasheed McWilliams, with the aim of monetising and commercialising patented technologies while establishing a new paradigm for the field. Central to that vision is the concept of the Ethical Non-Practicing Entity, or Ethical NPE, a model intended to distinguish iPEL's conduct from the more aggressive practices commonly associated with patent assertion. This emphasis on fair dealing and transparency has been the defining feature of the business and of Mr Yates's public advocacy within the intellectual property community.

Under his leadership the company raised substantial capital, reported at around US$100 million, to build one of the most valuable patent portfolios in the world. Through a programme of acquisitions and divestments, Mr Yates curated a portfolio said to cover many of the core products and services offered by leading technology companies internationally. Managing a portfolio of this scope requires both financial discipline and a sophisticated understanding of where genuine technological value lies, and it is this combination of investment judgement and technical insight that has characterised his approach to monetisation.

The firm's distinctive licensing philosophy was demonstrated by its Initial License Offering, which gave companies an opportunity to secure a licence to iPEL's entire worldwide patent portfolio through one of two programmes: free licences for small businesses and startups, and paid licences for larger enterprises. This tiered structure sought to balance the legitimate monetisation of patent rights with support for smaller innovators, reflecting the ethical positioning that Mr Yates has championed throughout the venture.

Mr Yates brings to this work a career rooted in intellectual property and technology. From 2000 he represented technology companies with a focus on patent prosecution and litigation, and as President of Prognosis IP he provided strategic direction on patent monetisation, helping patent owners convert their intellectual property assets into revenue. That grounding in both the contentious and commercial dimensions of patent practice underpins his authority as a monetisation specialist. The 2024 Corporate INTL Global Award recognises him as a global leader in patent licensing and monetisation and celebrates his effort to advance a more responsible model for the industry.