Oracle buys intellectual property management firm

Oracle has bought a company that specialises in tracking the use of digital media

Oracle has acquired intellectual property rights management firm Sophoi and will be selling its tracking software immediately.

Sophoi specialises in software that tracks the use of digital media and allows the owners to collect revenues. Oracle is rebranding Sophoi's software as Oracle Media Intellectual Property Management.

"With the proliferation of media and entertainment distribution channels, the management and licensing of intellectual property rights and royalties has become increasingly complex," said Liam Maxwell, vice president of products at Oracle Communications.

"The addition of Sophoi technology to Oracle's product line for the communications, media and entertainment industries is expected to accelerate the adoption of standards-based software to monetise digital content and enable better financial control of content assets."

An early customer is film studio Paramount, which uses the software to identify its television media use and ensure the payment of royalties.

"Oracle Media Intellectual Property Management will allow us to streamline the management and licensing of our product," said Abe Wong, chief information officer at Paramount Pictures.

"The software will improve our ability to identify and organise television rights, locate and license those rights to our assets, and track complex licensing agreements, while more easily managing the revenue cycle and the associated accounting.

"This dynamic and automated solution ensures that we can maximise the revenue potential of our intellectual property assets and reduce the costs of supporting our business."