Relief-from-Royalty Method

A valuation technique that estimates the value of an intangible asset by comparing the projected cash flows of a business with the asset to those without it. The difference in present value represents the asset's contribution and is commonly used to value non-compete agreements, assembled workforces, and technology assets.

A valuation technique that estimates the value of an intangible asset by modelling the cash flows of a hypothetical business that starts from scratch ('greenfield') with only the subject asset in place, building up all other assets over time. The greenfield method captures the head-start value of having the intangible asset from inception.

A market approach valuation technique that estimates the value of a subject company by reference to the trading multiples of publicly listed companies with similar business characteristics. The method involves identifying comparable public companies, selecting appropriate valuation multiples (such as EV/EBITDA or P/E), making adjustments for differences in size, growth, risk, and marketability, and applying the adjusted multiples to the subject company's financial metrics.

A market approach valuation technique that estimates the value of a subject company by reference to the prices paid in actual acquisitions of comparable businesses. The method involves identifying relevant transactions, extracting implied valuation multiples, adjusting for differences in timing, deal structure, and synergy expectations, and applying the adjusted multiples to the subject company.

A variant of the multi-period excess earnings method used to value customer relationship intangible assets, which analyses the business from the perspective of a hypothetical distributor that owns only the customer relationships and licenses all other assets from the operating entity. The distributor method simplifies contributory asset charge estimation by modelling a lean distribution business rather than the full operating entity.

A systematic review of a company's intellectual property portfolio — including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, domain names, and licences — to assess ownership, validity, enforceability, freedom to operate, and commercial relevance. IP audits are essential in M&A due diligence, technology licensing negotiations, and litigation preparation.

Revenue attributable to IP is the portion of a business's income that can be reasonably traced to a specific intellectual property asset rather than to the enterprise as a whole. Isolating revenue attributable to ip is central to both valuation and lending, because it demonstrates that the intangible is a genuine, separable driver of cash generation rather than an inseparable part of goodwill.

A technique for estimating the weighted average cost of capital by constructing the cost of equity from individual risk components rather than deriving it solely from market data. The build-up method typically starts with the risk-free rate and adds an equity risk premium, size premium, industry risk premium, and company-specific risk premium.

AI Valuation Methods for M&A and Due Diligence

What royalty rate is used to value IP for lending?

There is no single fixed rate. Valuers derive it from comparable market licences for similar IP, and for lending they deliberately use a low-end, conservative rate to avoid overstating collateral value.

Do registered IP rights get better loan terms than unregistered?

Yes. Registered rights such as patents, trade marks and registered designs carry more weight than unregistered IP, supporting higher advance rates because title and enforceability are easier to prove.

How is IP valued for secured lending?

IP is valued to a credit standard under IVS 210, using income, market or cost approaches, then adjusted to an orderly-disposal figure. That collateral value, tested for saleability, sets the loan-to-value.