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Patents
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]  
Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets
PATENTS

Acacia’s only identifiable intangible assets at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 are patents and patent rights.  Patent-related accumulated amortization totaled $292,255,000 and $281,495,000 as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

Acacia’s patents have remaining estimated economic useful lives ranging from one to eight years.  The weighted-average remaining estimated economic useful life of Acacia’s patents is approximately five years.  The following table presents the scheduled annual aggregate amortization expense as of March 31, 2016 (in thousands):
For the years ending December 31,
 
Remainder of 2016
$
32,484

2017
40,561

2018
35,765

2019
19,412

2020
6,787

Thereafter
16,873

 
$
151,882



For the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, 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 $1,000,000 and $16,861,000, respectively.  The underlying patents have estimated economic useful lives of approximately five to ten years. Included in net additions to capitalized patent costs during the three months ended March 31, 2015 are accrued patent investment costs totaling $900,000, which are amortized over the estimated economic useful life of the related patents.