Selling & Buyers
How do I approach a Fortune 500 company about my patent?
The short answer
Through the right door — licensing teams, business development, or formal open-innovation portals — with evidence, not enthusiasm. North America holds roughly 40% of the global IP licensing market, concentrated in companies like IBM, Qualcomm, and Microsoft that run professional inbound IP processes.
The full picture
The mechanics: find the IP licensing or corporate development contact (LinkedIn and company open-innovation pages list them), send a one-page, evidence-led summary tied to their products, and expect a formal process — NDAs are rare at first contact, idea-submission policies are strict, and timelines run in quarters, not weeks.
The leverage question to answer before you write a word: why does this patent matter to their revenue or their roadmap? If you can point to a shipping product your claims read on, you have their attention. If you can't yet, build that case first — it's the work that separates the answered emails from the ignored ones, and it's work we're glad to help with.
Where does your patent stand?
The Beyond the Patent Commercialization Score answers that — a professional, factor-by-factor read on your patent's licensing, sale, build, and partner potential.
Related questions
General information for patent owners — not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.