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Patents
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]  
Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets
PATENTS

Acacia’s only identifiable intangible assets at June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are patents and patent rights.  Patent-related accumulated amortization totaled $192,831,000 and $166,565,000 as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

Acacia’s patents have remaining estimated economic useful lives ranging from one to nine years.  The weighted-average remaining estimated economic useful life of Acacia’s patents is approximately six years.  The following table presents the scheduled annual aggregate amortization expense as of June 30, 2015 (in thousands):
For the years ending December 31,
 
Remainder of 2015
$
26,080

2016
49,765

2017
48,676

2018
44,549

2019
38,917

Thereafter
54,350

 
$
262,337



For the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, Acacia paid patent related investment costs, including up-front patent portfolio advances and previously accrued milestone payments related to patent related investments made in prior periods, totaling $18,667,000 and $22,096,000, respectively.  The underlying patents have estimated economic useful lives of approximately four to ten years. Included in net additions to capitalized patent costs during the six months ended June 30, 2014 are accrued patent investment costs totaling $3,000,000 which are amortized over the estimated economic useful life of the related patents.

During the six months ended June 30, 2014, certain Acacia operating subsidiaries elected to sell their rights to patent portfolios, resulting in the acceleration of amortization expense for the patent-related assets totaling $2,702,000. Proceeds from the sale of patents and the related gain on sale for the six months ended June 30, 2014 were $3,500,000 and $833,000, respectively. Included in amortization of patents for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was accelerated amortization related to the partial write-down of a patent portfolio, due to a reduction in expected estimated future net cash flows, totaling $2,565,000.