Ever think of Licensing your Trademark? Owners of “intellectual property,” – trademark, copyrights and trade secrets often find it profitable to “license” their intellectual property for use and sale by other businesses. The contract for this business arrangement is referred to as a “licensing agreement.” or simply a “license.” The owner of the intellectual property is the “licensor.”
The other party is the “licensee.”
A Trademark license may be exclusive or non-exclusive to the licensee. The licensee makes payments to the licensor that are often structured as period royalties based upon a percentage of profits realized by the licensee. Licensing has been around for a while, but its applications have expanded significantly in recent years.
For example, celebrities license their names for perfumes or restaurant corporations as part of a franchising plan. The Shrek character, M&M’s, Power Rangers. and popular nicknames for cities such as “Surf City USA” to credit card companies are among the virtually endless list currently subject to licensing.
However, whether-or-not you are in the position of a licensee or licensor, it is crucially imperative that the license be negotiated and drafted by an attorney with experience in this field. Although license agreements can yield considerable profits for licensor and licensee, there is no assurance of that outcome.
You need good solid legal services at a reasonable cost. Attorney Andrew Zulieve has over 25 years of experience in all (non-patent) Intellectual Property Law. He began his legal career as a law clerk at the preeminent IP Law Firm, Finnegan Henderson in Washington D.C. He has also worked for United States Trademark Office and has worked for both large and small firms before opening his own Zulieve Law in 2011.
He can reached by calling 207-790-2185 or email him at andy@zulievelaw.com