Pioneering search engine and web portal Lycos is putting some of its technology patents up for sale. The company said it's doing so in preparation to launch a suite of hard good products in the coming weeks.
Lycos is working with SG Consulting to make its portfolio available to the industry for acquisition or licensing. Patents that'll be available range from search engine technology to online advertising and online gaming. Company President Brad Cohen said it is of strategic importance to utilize all assets of the company in a matter consistent with current market trends.
Lycos was established in 1994 as a spin-off of a research project at Carnegie Mellon University. It completed the fastest IPO from inception to offering in Nasdaq history two years later and became one of the first profitable Internet businesses in the world in 1997.
The company began scooping up other Internet companies over the next few years including Angelfire, matchmaker.com and Wired Digital which was eventually sold to Wired. By 1999, it was the most visited online destination in the world. Ownership of Lycos changed hands a few times during the 2000s which brought about a refocus of its strategy, among other changes.
Although you probably haven't heard the name in years (or ever at all, depending on your age), Lycos' products are still relevant and utilized by industries such as online advertising, ad keywords, SEO, databases and multiplayer gaming.
No word yet on what hard goods the company is planning to launch.