Intellectual Property Licensing (IP Licences).

The most important thing is to make sure you name the right licensee to suit your requirements. This should be someone who is going to use your IP to its fullest potential and bring you the benefits you are looking for.

You will need to appoint someone who has the skills and infrastructure in place to bring the maximum reward, someone highly respected, capable with a proven track record and who won’t adversely affect your product or business.

Lanyon Bowdler has a wealth of experience in this field and works closely with trusted IP lawyers to ensure our client receives the right legal advice. We often advise on software licence agreements, trademark and copyright licence agreements.

We can also assist with other commercial contracts dealing with the creation and ownership of IP rights, including employment contracts, sub-contractor agreements, consultancy agreements and supply of services agreements.

The 2024 edition of The Legal 500 states that “underpinned by strong cross-office collaboration, Lanyon Bowdler’s ‘knowledge, advice, and expertise’ makes them a key port of call for a host of corporate clients. Shrewsbury-based Gráinne Walters is an ‘excellent’ adviser whose wide-ranging client base spans the consumer goods, education, care, and industrials sectors, to name a few. ‘Highly experienced and extremely knowledgeable’, Ludlow-based Edward Burrell’s recent workload includes both M&A and restructuring mandates, while Conwy-based Jennifer Edwards is noted for her significant experience in asset sales.”

The 2024 edition of Chambers UK recognised the team, saying: “Lanyon Bowdler offers expertise in a wide range of legal services. It has vast knowledge of such areas as acquisitions, sales, mergers, management buyouts and buy-ins, investments, reorganisations, and commercial contracts, among many others. The department has noted skills in sectors such as agriculture, education and renewable energy supply.” One client enthuses: “Their work is thorough and the key matters are understood in detail.” Other sources say “Outstanding levels of client service from the partner level down.” and “Lanyon Bowdler are diligent, knowledgeable and take a professional approach to providing advice.”

An exclusive licence grants the licensee exclusive rights in the use of your IP, meaning you no longer have any say over how it is used. But it also generally means you will be entitled to a higher financial return.

A non-exclusive licence means you are not restricted to granting permission to just one party and can agree to grant as many licences as you wish. But this path typically results in a lower financial return and potential problems in managing a number of licence holders.

You can keep possession of your IP with a view to using it yourself by granting a sole licence – similar to an exclusive licence, these are not totally dependant on the licensee. While they can be safer than going down the exclusive licence route, the financial gain will not be so great.