Contingent legal fees paid or payable to external counsel.

No definition available.

Name:	actg_ContingentLegalFees
Namespace Prefix:	actg_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Royalties and contingent legal fees payable

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	actg_RoyaltiesAndContingentLegalFeesPayable
Namespace Prefix:	actg_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount due from customers or clients, within one year of the balance sheet date (or the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer), for goods or services (including trade receivables) that have been delivered or sold in the normal course of business, reduced to the estimated net realizable fair value by an allowance established by the entity of the amount it deems uncertain of collection.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(3))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(4))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsReceivableNetCurrent
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Revenue earned during the period relating to consideration received from another party for the right to use, but not own, certain of the entity's intangible assets. Licensing arrangements include, but are not limited to, rights to use a patent, copyright, technology, manufacturing process, software or trademark. Licensing fees are generally, but not always, fixed as to amount and not dependent upon the revenue generated by the licensing party. An entity may receive licensing fees for licenses that also generate royalty payments to the entity.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 225
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.1(e))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=63488584&loc=d3e20235-122688

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LicensesRevenue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Total of all stockholders' equity (deficit) items, net of receivables from officers, directors, owners, and affiliates of the entity which is directly or indirectly attributable to that ownership interest in subsidiary equity which is not attributable to the parent (that is, noncontrolling interest, previously referred to as minority interest).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03(22))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(a)(24))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.31)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_MinorityInterest
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NewAccountingPronouncementsOrChangeInAccountingPrincipleLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The cumulative amount of the reporting entity's undistributed earnings or deficit.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(a)(23)(a)(4))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187085-122770

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(30)(a)(3))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetainedEarningsAccumulatedDeficit
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of expense related to royalty payments under a contractual arrangement such as payment for mineral and drilling rights and use of technology or intellectual property.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 225
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=63488584&loc=d3e20235-122688

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RoyaltyExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AdjustmentsForNewAccountingPronouncementsAxis=us-gaap_NewAccountingPronouncementMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AdjustmentsForNewAccountingPronouncementsAxis=actg_BalancebeforeadjustmentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Details (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current	$ 4,754		$ 4,695	$ 153
Royalties and contingent legal fees payable	39,937		3,329	1,601
Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	(349,550)		(317,512)	(320,018)
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	1,593		1,666	$ 1,358
Licenses Revenue	62,093	$ 8,854
Royalty Expense	21,744	666
Contingent legal fees	15,759	$ 627
Adjustments for New Accounting Pronouncement [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current	2,030		4,542
Royalties and contingent legal fees payable	812		1,728
Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)			2,506
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest			$ 308
Licenses Revenue	2,030
Royalty Expense	698
Contingent legal fees	114
Balance before adjustment [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current	2,724
Royalties and contingent legal fees payable	39,125
Licenses Revenue	60,063
Royalty Expense	21,046
Contingent legal fees	$ 15,645