Adventures in Intellectual Property

As an Internet consultant, I get the opportunity to visit a lot of cool companies. Today I was at Intellectual Ventures, the invention and intellectual property factory in Bellevue, Washington. The company was founded by the legendary former Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myrvold.

Myrvold is an avid collector of weird and wonderful items. In the office we saw vintage movie cameras, dozens of 100-year-old typewriters, rare entomology displays and a giant T-Rex head from the movie Jurassic Park. (above, left)

They have a fascinating business model, a brave new world of intellectual pursuit. They acquire or create patents and inventions and then monetize them. See what Fortune Magazine, The New Yorker and Business Week had to say about the company. Also, check out Myrvold's presentation at TED (below).