The IP type question asks which kinds of intellectual property (IP) protect your product or service, and you can tick as many as apply. It sits in the IP and Legal section of the questionnaire as question 36. Ticking more boxes does not add more value: only the highest-scoring type you tick counts toward your valuation.
Which IP types can you select?
You can tick any combination of 6 options under Which kind of Intellectual Property (IP) applies to the product/service? (select all that apply):
Trademark and/or domain names
Copyright
Patent
Other
Provisional patent
Trade secret
There is no "None" option. If your company has no IP, leave every box unticked. That is a valid answer, and the question does not count as unanswered.
The same question appears as question 7 of the 10-question estimate, with the same 6 checkboxes.
How is the IP type scored?
Only the highest-scoring type among the ones you tick is used. Ticking Patent and Trade secret gives the same result as ticking Patent alone. The scores are not added together.
The types rank as follows:
Patent scores highest.
Copyright and Trade secret score the same as each other, below Patent.
Trademark and/or domain names, Other and Provisional patent add nothing to the score.
No box ticked adds nothing to the score.
A provisional patent scores the same as having no IP. If your patent has since been granted, tick Patent instead.
Which methods does the IP type affect?
The IP type feeds 2 of the five methods: the Scorecard method and the Checklist method. It does not feed the VC method or the two DCF methods, which work from your financial projections.
In the Scorecard method it is part of the criterion "Strength and protection of the product/service". In the Checklist method it is part of "Product roll-out and IP protection". How much each method counts toward your final range depends on its method weight, which you can see in Advanced Settings.
The next question, How would you define the current stage of development of your IP?, is scored separately in both methods. The Checklist method does not add a bonus for combining a patent or copyright with an IP stage other than Not applicable. Each answer contributes on its own.
Can AI Discovery or Document Upload fill in this question?
Yes. Both AI Discovery and Document Upload can pre-tick one or more IP types from what they read about your company, and the question is then marked as AI-filled so you can confirm or change it. For example, a description that mentions proprietary technology leads to Trade secret. For software companies they can also pre-tick Copyright when the description mentions software, SaaS, a platform or an API, and Trade secret when a technology stack is detected. Check the pre-filled boxes and untick any type your company does not hold before you confirm them.
How does the report show your IP types?
The report lists every type you ticked on one line, labelled Applicable IP, in the protection summary. If you ticked nothing, the row does not appear. In the Markdown export of your report, the Scorecard and Checklist criterion tables show a dash for IP when nothing is ticked.
Limits
You cannot type your own IP category. Choose Other if none of the 5 named types fits; it adds nothing to the score.
Only 1 type counts toward the Scorecard and Checklist contribution, however many you tick.
When Import Data reads a file with AI instead of the Equidam Excel template, it does not propose an answer for this question. Answer it in the questionnaire.
Answers saved before the change to multi-select keep their single ticked box. Companies that had picked "None or not applicable" now show no box ticked.
Common questions
Why did my valuation not go up when I ticked more IP types?
Only the highest-scoring type you tick is used. Adding a type that scores the same or lower than one already ticked does not change the Scorecard or Checklist result.
Should I tick Provisional patent and Patent together?
You can, but it makes no difference to the score. Patent scores highest, and Provisional patent adds nothing on its own.
My company has no IP. What should I select?
Leave every box unticked. The questionnaire accepts this as an answer and scores it as no IP.
Why is my Checklist value lower than before this question changed?
The Checklist method scores the IP type and the IP stage separately and does not add a bonus for combining a patent or copyright with an IP stage other than Not applicable. Companies with a patent or copyright and any IP stage other than Not applicable can therefore see a lower Checklist value than before.