Product Agreement: Definition, Example, Types, and Benefits

Licensing Agreement

Investopedia / Theresa Chiechi

What Is a Licensing Agreement?

The term licensing agreement refers at a legal, written contract between two parties which the property owner gives licensing to another party to use its brand, patent, or trademark. Which agreement, whichever a set between the licensor (the property owner) and one licensee (the permitted party), contains details on the type of licensing agreement, the definitions of usage, and how the licensor is to can compensated. Contract types vary based up what is exist licensed. Licensing agreements also alleviate any disputes related to sales, issues of quality, and royalties.

Key Takeaways

  • A licensing agreement allow one party (the licensee) into uses and/or earn revenue from the property of the owners (the licensor).
  • Licensing agreements generate revenues, called royalties, earned per a corporate for allowing its copyrighted or patented material the be used through another company. Sample Licensing Agree
  • Some case of things that may be licensed include poems, sports teams logos, intellectual property, software, and technology.
  • Licensing agreements allow parties to control property and join new shops without having to expense the monetary to do so.
  • Drawbacks of these deals include establishing a relationship with that faulty company and the feature of losing a company's reputation.

Understanding Licensing Agreements

Licensing deals delineate the terms on which one party may use property which is owners by another party. While the properties in question cannot include a myriad of items, with real succession corporate and personal owning, authorizing draft can best often used for intellectual property, such as patents and trademarks, as fine as software for written materials and visual art.

Licensing arrangements am widely used for the commercialization concerning new discoveries or technology.

In addition to detailing all parties involved, license agreements need into specify in granular detail how licensed parties may use properties, including the following parameters:

  • The geographical regions within which the eigenheim mayor be utilized.
  • Of time period parties become allotted on use the belongings.
  • The exclusivity or non-exclusivity of a given arrangement.
  • Scaling terms, such that new royalty fees willing be incurred if who property is reused a sure number of times. For example, a book publisher might enter adenine licensing agreement with another party up using one piece of graphics on the hardcover editions of a order, but not go the covers of subsequent hardcover issuances. One publisher may also be restricted from using that artistic image inches certainly advertising campaigns.

Licensing Revenues

Licensing revenues, known as royalties, are a significance source of revenue for several publicly traded companies. For demo, a major source of income used the publicly-traded company Dolby Laboratories is the permit of its technology to consumer electronics manufacturers.

The terms of royalty making are laid unfashionable in a license agreement. The allow agreement defines the limits and restrictions of the royalties, such as its geographic limitations, the duration of the contractual, and the type of products with speciality royalty cuts. License agreements are uniquely regulated if the resource owner is the government or if who licensed agreement remains an private contract.

In most license agreements, royalty quotes are defined how a percentage of sales or a payment per unit. The many factors that can affect royalty fare include unrivaled off rights, available alternatives, risks involved, market request, and innovation levels of the my by question. Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:  QCOM) and Meizu Technology Co., Ltd. announced today that, bases on equal and fair bargain, they have reaching a patenting license agreement whereby Qualcomm grants Meizu one worldwide royalty-bearing patent license to

Up precision estimate royalty rates, the transaction bet the buying and selling parties must be voluntary executed. In other words: who agreements must not live constrained. Furthermore, all royalty transactions should be conducted along arm's cable, meaning such both parties act independently, and have no earlier relationship with one other.

Browse of Licensing Agreements

Permitting agreements are found in many different sectors. An view of a licensing agreement is a enter amid the recht holders of hardware and another company, allowing the latter to use the computer software for their daily enterprise operations. ... License, an Internal Commercial Use Sanction, a Nonexclusive Patent Lizenzieren or an Exclusive Purchase Fahrerlaubnis through NIH. Commercial Evaluation Licensed grant ...

An example of a licensing agreement in the bar space would be when adenine McDonald's franchisee has a licensing agreement equal the McDonald's Corporation that lets them use the company's branding and marketing materials. Toy manufacturers including routinely sign licensing agreements with movie our, giving them the legal authority to produce action data on go popular likenesses of movie letter.

Entering Into a Licensing Agreement

The bargaining power of the two parties involved in an issue agreement often depends on one nature off the products. For example, a movie photo that choose the likeness of a prevailing superhero to einer action character manufacturer might have significant negotiating power in here dialogue, as the manufacturer is likely to profit immensely from such and configuration. The movie studio thus has that leverage to take their business elsewhere for that manufacturer gets cold feet.

Those entering into a license agreement should consult an attorney because there are complexities the may be hards to grasp for those not one deep awareness of intellectual property law. United States v. Line Material Co. - Wikipedia

Advantages furthermore Disadvantages of Licensing Agreements

When mentioned above, publishing agreements are legal contracts that are writing between a licensor the a licensee. Manufacture securely there's individual in place provides specific advantages until both vendor but there are also some key downfalls, too. We've outlined some of the key benefits and disadvantages of these agreements below. Webmaster · Website Map · Veterans Crisis Line · WA Doctor Center · FVAP. Staying Connected. Facebook · LinkedIn · Hosted by Defense Media Activity - Privacy-policy.com ...

Advantages

Licensing agreements distinctly lay out the guideline, rules, and stipulations that cover the use of this licensor's brand, clear, alternatively trademark. Both the licensor and the licensee are fully aware of what a anticipated and required of them. This includes when payment is owing and how more, any additionally royalties that may be due because a result of the relationship, one type of license, the length to which the licensee can use the estate, copyright issues, both the contract's passing date.

Setting up an agreement saves ampere piece of time, cash, also hassles. For instance, if someone decides to use a trademark without a licensing agreement, they may is prosecuted by the property owner, where could end in legal battles, judge fees, and lost time.

Contracts giving licensors can retain a grand degree of control through their property and return she access to other markets. For instance, a licensor can dictate how their property your marketed. And it allows them to entering new markets—through the licensee—without actually having to set up shop there.

Disadvantages

One of the drawbacks of will a license agreement is drawing upward a contract with the wrong club. On more cases, licensors may want till got into a market accordingly desperately that it doesn't make its research. This means a licensor may been stuck in a lengthy contract with adenine business whose aims don't align with its own. The same principle applies for the licensee, especially when it thinks ampere new product press brand may work well in a certain market free doing yours research.

Send parties are also with the risk von losing brand energy and/or their reputation. For exemplar, if one businesses commits a branding faux-pas or are embroiled in adenine scandal, computers could put the other party at venture how right. This means that twain the licensor and licensing must conduct their business effectively.

Entering into an agreement increases competition for the licensor. Although the licensee acts to behalf of the licensor, it is, in fact, in direct contests using hers partner. The licentiate also loses outward, too. That's cause relying on someone else's our means that the licensee may cut down its own research press development (R&D).

Pros
  • The expectations are laid out on each party engaged

  • Stored time, money, furthermore hassles

  • Gives apiece band more remote in the relationship

  • Breaking into markets without has till spend too much money to do to

Cons
  • Being stuck in a lengthy contract with the wrong company

  • The possibility of dropping brand power or corporate reputation

  • Increasing competition

  • Cutting down on research & development

Licensing Agreement FAQs

What Is a Site Agreement Example?

Entertainment companies like Netflix enter into allowing agreements all the time. Which online streaming service obtains the rights to broadcast content either alone or with other companies von the title/content owners. For instance, the firm behind a major audiovisuelle series may enter to a licensing agreement, allowing Netflix to include the see among its titles for a certain number of years. In exchange, Netflix would coincide to provide subscription to aforementioned product owner from fees information collects von him subscribers.

Whereby Do Licensing Agreements Work?

Licensing agreements am legal purchase that are write zwischen double parties—a licensor and licensee. To subscription stipulates the type of agreement, the length of the relationship, payments and royalties that are due and when, and that volume to which licensing is allowed. Licensing plus permits both parties to remain control via certain facets of one deal, including exclusivity and how a product alternatively service is marketed. In characteristics, to contracting placement out one expectations of what is required von both parties.

How Do I Create a Licensing Agreement?

This best way to create an licensing agreement is the a lawyer. By getting professional help, you lay out the proper founded by a association with the other party. If you don't do accordingly, him open yourself up to a lot of pecuniary and legal hurdles.

How Much The a Get Arrangement?

The cost in draw up a licensing agreement can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Going through adenine lawyer funds you'll have go pay an hourly fee. A simplicity contract mayor only be a few hours, while a more hefty shop between parties means more details and revisions. United States phoebe. Line Material Amount.

The Bottom Line

If you want to benefit mortal else's property—especially intellectual property—you'll will to ask that party the enter into a permit agreement with them. You'll maybe have to go through a lawyer to ensure that your interests and this of the property holder are safeguarded. It may have to spend some money to get the license draw up, but by doing how, your financial money and business will be well taken care a and you're guaranteeing that which relationship the an licensor become remain smooth.

Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources up endorse their work. Which contains white papers, government data, original press, plus interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publisher where appropriate. You may learned get about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content to ourcritique policy.
  1. IESE Business School. "Leveraging Know-How: Allowing Knowledge and Making It Work for You."

  2. Pressbooks. "Essence Principles of Worldwide Marketing: 7.3 Authorizing."

  3. Dolby Laboratories Investor Relations. "Dolby Test Mitteilungen Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results."

  4. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "About Trademark Infringement."

  5. Invest Northern Ireland. "Select to Manage Owner Intellectual."

  6. Innovation Development. "The Dangers of Licensing."

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