§ 01 — What It Is
The value of what you own but cannot touch.
An intellectual property valuation is a reasoned, documented opinion of what a specific intangible asset — a brand, a trademark, a patent, proprietary technology, a copyright or a data asset — is worth for a specific purpose on a specific date. Because IP rarely trades in an open market, the analysis has to reconstruct value from the economics the asset actually generates: the royalty it would command, the earnings it drives, or the cost and time it would take a competitor to recreate it.
We value registered and unregistered IP, standalone and as portfolios, for licensing, sale, capital raising, disputes and financial reporting. Every engagement is led and signed by a senior valuer — an IBBI Registered Valuer for Securities or Financial Assets — who remains accountable for the opinion from scoping to defence.
§ 02 — Who Needs It
Common triggers
- Licensing and royalty setting — establishing an arm's-length royalty rate before granting or renegotiating a licence, in India or cross-border.
- IP transfer or sale — moving a brand or technology between group entities, selling it outright, or contributing it as capital, with tax and transfer-pricing consequences riding on the number.
- Fundraising on IP-heavy models — demonstrating to investors and lenders what the technology or brand is actually worth when it is the core of the business case.
- Litigation and infringement damages — quantifying losses from infringement, passing off or breach of a licensing agreement, with an opinion built to expert-evidence standards.
- Financial reporting — recognising acquired intangibles in a purchase price allocation, or testing recorded IP for impairment under Ind AS.
§ 03 — Our Approach
Four methods, matched to the asset — in plain English
IP valuation has a small set of established methods. We select and cross-check the ones the asset's economics genuinely support:
- Relief-from-royalty — the royalties you avoid paying because you own the asset instead of licensing it. The workhorse for brands and trademarks, anchored to observable royalty rates in comparable licensing arrangements.
- Multi-period excess earnings — the earnings left over after every other asset in the business has been paid a fair return; what remains is attributable to the IP. Suited to technology and customer-facing assets that drive the business.
- With-and-without — model the business twice, once with the asset and once without it. The difference in cash flows is the asset's value. Particularly persuasive in damages and non-compete contexts.
- Cost-to-recreate — what it would cost, in money and time, for a competitor to rebuild the asset from scratch. A floor test, and often the right lens for data assets and early-stage technology.
Where more than one method applies, we triangulate and explain the weighting. The concluded range comes with a one-page plain-English value narrative — written so a licensing counterparty, an investor or a judge can follow why the number is what it is.
§ 04 — FAQ
Questions we hear before every mandate
Can you value a brand that has never been licensed?
Yes — this is the normal case, not the exception. Relief-from-royalty does not require your brand to have a licensing history; it requires a supportable royalty rate, which we build from comparable licensing arrangements in your sector, adjusted for brand strength, market position and the rights being valued. Where royalty evidence is thin, we cross-check with excess-earnings or cost-based analysis and disclose the reliance placed on each.
What evidence do courts expect in an IP damages matter?
A method recognised in valuation literature, applied by a credentialed independent expert, with every assumption traceable to a document or a stated basis. Courts and tribunals are most persuaded by analyses grounded in the asset's actual commercial record — sales, licensing terms, marketing spend — rather than optimistic projections. Our dispute reports are structured as expert evidence from the outset, and the signing valuer is available for cross-examination where required.
How does IP valuation interact with transfer pricing?
Closely. When IP moves between related entities — especially cross-border — the valuation must be reconcilable with the arm's-length principle your transfer-pricing documentation relies on. We coordinate with your tax and TP advisers so the valuation, the royalty rate and the TP study tell one consistent story rather than three that contradict each other under scrutiny.
How long does an IP valuation take?
For standard mandates, an indicative valuation range within 5–7 business days and a full signed report within 10–15. Litigation reports and multi-asset portfolios are scoped individually, with a committed timeline agreed before we start.
How is the fee structured?
Fixed fee, agreed against a written scope before work begins. The fee reflects the asset, the purpose and the evidentiary standard required — not hours on a meter. If the scope genuinely changes, we re-quote before proceeding.