Intellectual Discovery Expected to Monetize 15 Billion KRW in Q1 Through Standard Patent Sales

Intellectual Discovery (CEOs Sangchul Yoon and Seoin Kim), a leading domestic patent management specialist company (NPE), announced on the 13th that it is expected to achieve sales exceeding 15 billion KRW in the first quarter alone through large-scale standard patent sales since January this year.

The company recently signed a contract to sell video codec (VVC, Versatile Video Codec) standard patents to a global major corporation, marking its first patent sales project of the year.

Since its founding, Intellectual Discovery has strategically built a portfolio of communication standard patents and video codec patents. In particular, for video codec standards, it purchased patents and ideas from Kwangwoon University, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and others from the early stages. It has also steadily built a standard patent portfolio for communication standards (5G, 6G) by purchasing patents or co-developing with numerous domestic universities and standard specialized institutions.

To monetize next-generation video codec standard patents, the company joined the VVC patent pool as a licensor in 2022 and has accelerated monetization efforts through standard patents, including selling some patents to global major corporations.

CEO Sangchul Yoon stated, “The company is focusing on in-house research and development by hiring experts in standard patents and AI. The proceeds from this project will be reinvested in acquiring and developing new patents. We are currently preparing to launch multiple global projects, so continuous revenue growth is expected. Based on these business expansion achievements, we plan to challenge an IPO by 2026.”

During the Trump administration from 2017 to 2020, policies promoting strong intellectual property protection and enforcement were pursued to prioritize America and create jobs. It is expected that these policies will be further strengthened upon re-election, making the role of Intellectual Discovery, which discovers domestic intellectual property (IP) and monetizes it overseas, even more important. CEOs Sangchul Yoon (also CEO of Xperix) and Seoin Kim of Intellectual Discovery were invited to President Trump’s inauguration ceremony to further build networks for expanding the IP business.

Meanwhile, Intellectual Discovery was acquired by Xperix Co., Ltd., a KOSDAQ-listed company, in March last year. Since then, patent acquisitions and new litigation projects have been activated, and sales are expected to continue increasing. Notably, in December last year, the company received approximately 15 million USD (about 22 billion KRW) in settlement fees from global telecommunications equipment companies Nokia and Ericsson, generating significant revenue through litigation with global corporations.

The parent company Xperix is expanding its business scope beyond the existing digital ID business by acquiring companies such as Xplus and Purple Corporation and establishing XCM Co., Ltd., a materials specialist company.

Executive Director Kilsu Lee, who oversees finance for Xperix and its affiliates, said, “We expect strong growth in 2025 not only for Intellectual Discovery but also for Xperix, Xplus, Purple Corporation, Idea Bridge Asset Management, and XCM. In particular, Xplus is expected to turn profitable in 2025 through internal restructuring after its acquisition at the end of 2023. The combined group sales of Xperix and its five affiliates aim to reach 100 billion KRW.”