UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 59,223	$ 88,047
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues - intellectual property operations	37,388	36,098
Engineering and development expenses - industrial operations	626	200
Sales and marketing expenses - industrial operations	8,621	1,538
General and administrative expenses	52,680	35,666
Total costs and expenses	99,315	73,502
Operating (loss) income	(40,092)	14,545
Equity securities investments:
Change in fair value of equity securities	(263,695)	87,527
Gain on sale of equity securities	125,318	116,129
Earnings on equity investment in joint venture	42,531	3,530
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain	(95,846)	207,186
Change in fair value of investment	0	(2,752)
Gain on sale of investment	0	3,591
Change in fair value of the Series A and B warrants and embedded derivatives	13,102	(40,408)
Loss on foreign currency exchange	(3,324)	(89)
Interest expense on Senior Secured Notes	(6,432)	(7,922)
Interest income and other, net	5,442	501
Total other (expense) income	(87,058)	160,107
(Loss) income before income taxes	(127,150)	174,652
Income tax benefit (expense)	16,211	(24,287)
Net (loss) income including noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries	(110,939)	150,365
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries	(14,126)	(1,168)
Net (loss) income attributable to Acacia Research Corporation	(125,065)	149,197
(Loss) income per share:
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders - Basic	$ (133,035)	$ 118,804
Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic	42,460,504	48,797,290
Basic net income (loss) per common share (in usd per share)	$ (3.13)	$ 2.43
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders - Diluted	$ (133,035)	$ 188,224
Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted	42,460,504	98,470,870
Diluted net income (loss) per common share (in usd per share)	$ (3.13)	$ 1.91
Intellectual property operations
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 19,508	$ 76,043
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues - intellectual property operations	18,029	28,691
Industrial operations
Revenues:
Total revenues	39,715	12,004
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues - intellectual property operations	$ 19,359	$ 7,407