It recently became official that the CFIUS group has blocked the sale of Philips Lumileds to a Chinese-led investment group. While there does not seem to be an official explanation, doubts emerged at the beginning of the CFIUS review last October.
Back in November, we looked at how Lumileds had received a large amount of funding from the Department of Energy to improve lighting technologies. While this sponsored research may not have factored into their decision to block the transaction, it does signal that the Committee on Foreign Investments in the US will continue to evaluate that any acquisition and investment by a foreign party may undergo scrutiny to ensure that no threats to national security exist before allowing the investment.
One way to investigate the risks with any acquisitions or investment is to understand the implications that the moving of IP may have on your business. ktMINE tracks intangible assets and innovation data for companies, universities, and governments. With this data, customers can:
- Monitor rumored and announced acquisitions to identify impacts to business, industry, and national security
- Monitor purchases of sensitive patented technologies
- Identify a company’s current intangible asset portfolio and investments in innovation
- Track the movement of intangible assets across borders
