If you're like me and you like looking at statistics, here's one that you should look check out. It's called AIPLA (American Intellectual Property Law Association) Report of the Economic Survey. It's a very comprehensive biannual survey that tells you pretty much any statistics you want to know about IP law in the US. Here's a redacted version of the 2013 report. You'll quickly see what I mean.

I personally like looking at average costs of litigation and average costs of prosecution for patents, trademarks, and copyrights. The reason for this is because it gives me and my clients a good frame of reference for average costs associated with these services. Another reason why I like this report is because it validates how important IP protection is. It really is true that IP is the most valuable asset for growing companies as well as many established companies because there is so much money at stake.

As you may know, one of the most common ways to make money off of patents is to sell it. When there is a change of ownership of a patent or a patent application, you need to document it (as you would with many legal procedures). This is called an assignment, and it is an important document that must be recorded at the USPTO in order for the assignee to have a proper ownership of the assigned patent. 

Under the rules, you have three months to record an assignment. Otherwise, a subsequent bona fide purchaser (someone without notice of the assignment) can subordinate the original assignee's rights. How do you record an assignment? First, you need to have an assignment agreement. 
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