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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Earnings per share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands | 3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016 | Sep. 30, 2016 | Jun. 30, 2016 | Mar. 31, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015 | Sep. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2015 | Mar. 31, 2015 | Dec. 31, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015 | Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Net income (loss) attributable to Acacia Research Corporation | $ (10,611) | $ 7,082 | $ (40,573) | $ (9,965) | $ (115,910) | $ (27,310) | $ (3,686) | $ (13,130) | $ (54,067) | $ (160,036) | $ (66,029)
Payments of Dividends |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0 | (25,434) | (25,039)
Dividends attributable to common stockholders under the two class method |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0 | 24,740 | 24,313
Net Loss Available to Common Stockholders, Basic and Diluted |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ (54,067) | $ (160,730) | $ (66,755)
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic and Diluted | 50,237,784 | 50,124,302 | 50,015,869 | 49,925,550 | 49,749,941 | 49,630,369 | 49,423,472 | 49,212,207 | 50,075,847 | 49,505,817 | 48,658,088
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted | $ (0.21) | $ 0.14 | $ (0.81) | $ (0.20) | $ (2.33) | $ (0.55) | $ (0.08) | $ (0.27) | $ (1.08) | $ (3.25) | $ (1.37)
Anti-dilutive equity-based incentive awards excluded from the computation of diluted income (loss) per share |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3,682,532 | 71,468 | 27,760

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