Acacia Research Acquires Increased Ownership in Soundview Technologies, MerkWerks Corporation, Greenwich Information Technologies, and Combimatrix Corporation.

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 1998--Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq/NMS: ACRI) announced that it has acquired increased equity ownership in four of its affiliate companies in a series of independent transactions in exchange for issuances of 377,692 shares of Acacia Research's common stock, valued at approximately $2.8 million.

Acacia Research increased its ownership of Soundview Technologies Incorporated from 51.4% to 65.4%. Soundview Technologies owns significant technology related to audio and video blanking systems, also known as v-chip technology. Soundview Technologies intends to license its patented technology to the manufacturers of new televisions sold in the United States that will be required to incorporate v-chip technology. Soundview Technologies has also developed the V Chip Converter that can be used with the approximately 200 million existing television that will otherwise be "deaf" to the v-chip signal.

Acacia Research increased its ownership of MerkWerks Corporation from 69.5% to 88.8%. MerkWerks is completing the development of its first software product, CD WonderWriter. The product is designed to provide users of CD-recordable drives with an easy and reliable method to copy and create their own CDs for use in standard CD-ROM drives or in audio CD players.

Acacia Research increased its ownership of Greenwich Information Technologies, LLC from 30.02% to 33.33%. Greenwich Information Technologies is the exclusive marketing and licensing agent of a portfolio of patents relating to video-on-demand and audio-on-demand. Video-on-demand will allow television viewers to order movies from a remote file server and to view them at home with full VCR functionality.

Acacia Research increased its ownership of CombiMatrix Corporation from 51.4% to 52.7%. CombiMatrix is developing new technologies intended to increase the speed and cost effectiveness of drug discovery. CombiMatrix's proprietary virtual reactor technologies can use computer generated electric signals to create various chemical compounds. Automation of chemical synthesis is accomplished on the surface of semiconductor chips.

Acacia Research Corporation (ACRI) is a diversified capital management company with interests in several enterprises - CombiMatrix Corporation (drug discovery technology), Greenwich Information Technologies LLC (video and audio-on-demand technology), MerkWerks Corporation (software development), Soundview Technologies Incorporated (V-chip technology), Whitewing Labs, Inc. (direct marketer of nutritional supplements), and the Company's investment advisory business (managing four private investment funds).

CONTACT: Acacia Research

Kathryn King-Van Wie, 626/449-6431