The assets of Ipix, the bankrupt company that pioneered the virtual home tours that are a staple of real estate Web sites, will go on the auction block next month.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has set Monday, Oct. 23, as the deadline for sealed bids on assets including Ipix’s 360 Degrees Digital Immersive Video business line, its still photography line, and patents on an experimental high-resolution camera developed through a federal government research project. Other patents including the Omniview Motionless Camera Endoscopy System are also on the auction block.
“There are approximately 38 U.S. patents owned by Ipix in addition to other patents registered with the European Union and other nations,” said Stephen Karbelk, sales agent for the trustee and the auction process, in a press release. “Ipix’s core technology — as well as seven different trademarks and the Ipix name and logo — are all available for purchase.”
Court-appointed trustee Donald F. King King said he thinks the auction proceeds will exceed Ipix’s $5 million secured lien.
Ipix declared bankruptcy July 31, and competing companies were quick to offer their services to real estate firms.
Studio360 Inc. issued a statement asking consumers to “contact us if you need help in converting your Ipix 360 Virtual Tours to a stable software platform.”
Another virtual tour company, Real Tour Vision, announced it would help Ipix customers continue to offer virtual tours by converting Ipix tours to Real Tour Vision’s format.
