Could the Star Wars franchise be the most valuable piece of intellectual property ever created?

I believe that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the biggest movie of all time.

I believe Star Wars: The Force Awakens will have more media coverage and buzz about it than any prior work of intellectual property in history. Of course, the opportunities for such media are much greater today than ever before.

I believe Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the most successful trademark licensing item of all time.

The timing is perfect – social media, new generations of fans, old generations of fans – and a much anticipated build-up, plus the power of Disney behind it, means that the spin off merchandise and media surrounding The Force Awakens will likely be unparalleled, as will the buzz.

It is difficult, or impossible, to calculate the total value of a patent, copyright, or trademark. I’m sure that some patents – for computer hardware, automobile engines, medication, or some other invention – have had tremendous financial value over a large number of years. But the new Star Wars movie, coming out this month, is going to be enormous. It leads me to wonder, could the Star Wars franchise be among the most valuable IP ever created? Has any piece of IP touched more people? The Coca-Cola trademark and brand is widely recognized as the most valuable in the world, and perhaps more people know the word Coke than any other word on the planet.

But think of all the things (and money) that Star Wars has generated:

• movies
• toys (many, many toys over many decades)
• apparel and clothing
• books
• TV shows
• video games
• costumes
• conferences
• a huge line of Lego® products
• non-toy products (like cookware, home decor, electronics, and more)
• Lucasfilm’s technology (and likley patents related to that)

According to one report, Harry Potter franchise was valued far greater than Star Wars. But I believe The Force Awakens will be the biggest movie of all time.

Perhaps my take on this is slanted by my experiences, being 5 years old in 1977 when the first Star Wars was released, and have a Star Wars crazed 10 year old in my house today.

What do you think is the most valuable IP ever created?

Related post: Anatomy of a great entertainment trademark portfolio: STAR TREK