The IP DAO (Intellectual Property Decentralized Autonomous Organization) has created an innovation ecosystem comprised of a consortium of innovators, both inventors and investors, seeking to establish a new way to secure, value, and subsequently license or sell patents to translate IP into real market value. The foundation of the IP DAO is the collective of inventors across the globe who have come together to leverage the value of their existing and future patents and tie that value to an NFT or non-fungible token (token) that can be readily bought, sold, licensed, and traded by individuals and entities of all sizes.

The IP DAO, and the innovation ecosystem it has created, minimizes barriers to enter into the patent marketplace for inventors, patent buyers or licensees, and intellectual property investors alike through the use of a block-chained hyper contract that allows for entities to complete trusted, traceable, and transparent transactions through the exchange of the IP DAO coin. Through the IP DAO platform, new and seasoned inventors are able to access resources within the innovation ecosystem to navigate the often daunting IP landscape and submit patent applications in exchange for giving the IP DAO consortium partial patent ownership. Within the IP DAO platform, innovators can safely interface and collaborate with each other without fear of losing the value of their own ideas as interactions and the contribution of novel ideas is documented in a legally comprehensive ledger. Individuals and entities interested in investing in the IP DAO patent portfolio or those looking to purchase or license patents are able to avoid complicated and costly legal contracts by simply purchasing relevant IP DAO coins corresponding to specific patents or groups of patents in the innovation ecosystem.

The IP DAO is uniquely positioned to enable a growing number of inventors to file a vast array of patents to expand the innovation ecosystem, bring those patents into the broader IP marketplace, and monetize them through licensing or sales agreements. Participation in the IP DAO innovation ecosystem is increasing as the message of accessible and patent protection coupled with opportunities for collaboration among inventors spreads across the globe. Innovators in parts of South Asia, Africa, and Latin America who may not have the financial resources or networks to protect ideas will be empowered to file patents with the IP DAO, interface with other inventors or investors, and identify potential patent licensees or buyers to support the innovation ecosystem. Only an estimated 2-5% of patents filed globally are eventually sold, licensed, or applied in a way that yields market value. A modest increase in global patent utilization to 10% would bring an estimated $1 trillion in additional IP to the marketplace.

The value of the IP DAO coin is expected to increase as the value of the diversified portfolio of patents climbs and the number of patents surges once innovators recognize that the patent landscape has shifted and there is a new approach to unlock the lucrative and largely untapped patent marketplace.