Intellectual Ventures continues to add to its arsenal of patents, with the Bellevue company led by former Microsoft chief technology officer announcing this week that it has acquired the majority of the patent portfolio from Avistar Communications Corp. In a release, Intellectual Ventures said that it is paying $11 million for the portfolio.

Avistar CEO Bob Kirk said that the deal allows the company to focus on delivering award winning products to partner and clients in the visual communications industry. "This also removes what has been a significant distraction for the team and our operation in general, while providing us the capital to more aggressively invest in our business,” he said.

“Working with a company like Avistar allows Intellectual Ventures to demonstrate how our business model helps innovative companies identify new ways to monetize their patent portfolios," said Intellectual Ventures' Vice Chairman Peter Detkin. "Our experience doing sophisticated deals, like the one with Avistar, not only benefits customers with complex IP needs, but it also benefits technology companies who need access to inventions such as the ones Avistar has created.”

Myhrvold has drawn criticism in the past as an aggressive patent troll.