Forget Pratt's Stats.   Forget the IBA database.  Forget RoyaltySource.   Now there's a new way to find out what intellectual property is worth!

Traffic Sports USA, the Miami-based extension of Traffic Group, a Brazilian company, announced last week that they had acquired the rights to the Carolina RailHawks brand.  The RailHawks are a professional soccer team that will play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2011.

What intrigues us is that the purchase of the team’s trademark (and logos, symbols, designs, etc.) and domain (www.carolinarailhawks.com) was accomplished over eBay, a public auction site, which lends some validity to the value established. The auction closed January 30, with a selling price of $14,999.