In recent years, the proactive management of patents and their exploitation through licensing out and sales transactions have been enhanced by the development of intermediaries and trading platforms. This paper first investigates the main drivers of companies' decisions to engage in patent licensing and sales; then, it examines how improvements in the marketplace for patents and more intense involvement of patent brokers might impact the factors hindering the development of patent transactions. The study's findings are supported by the results found in the scientific literature and by evidence from a survey conducted on a sample of companies involved in patent transactions.