a. Google acquired the assets of a small company on May 1, 2020 for $20 million where $3 million of it was ultimately allocated to the tax basis of a patent the small company had held. At the date of purchase, the patent had a remaining life (until the patent’s expiration date) of exactly 5 years (60 months). What was the total amount of amortization that Google can recognize in 2020 for the patent?

Part b.
Would your answer to part a. change if Google had instead directly purchased the patent alone from the company for $3 million instead of purchasing it along with the rest of the assets of the small company for a single purchase price? If so, what is the appropriate amortization for 2020 in this alternative scenario? If not, why doesn’t the amortization amount change?