Business Legal Services

Intellectual Property Licensing

Exploit the benefits of intellectual property licensing with legal support that future-proofs your business.

Your intellectual property is one of your most valuable business assets. Commercialise intellectual property in the right way for your business with an IP licensing strategy lead by our experts.

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Intellectual Property Licensing Solicitors

Commercialisation of intellectual property rights by licensing

Our team of intellectual property solicitors can support you with:

Advice on intellectual property licensing that ties in with your broader business strategy

Tap into existing intellectual property from third parties with the right agreement in place to secure your

Defining parameters of the relevant IP and help to identify who owns it

Drafting documents in relation to licensing of intellectual property rights, from simple assignments and licences to complex joint development agreements

Fee structure set out in the licence

Licensing out intellectual property to third parties generating a new revenue stream

Licensing in permitting you the use of third-party intellectual property that would not otherwise be available to you, saving time and money on research and development

IP asset purchases as well as joint research and development projects and mergers and acquisitions

Negotiations such as royalty structures

IP Dispute Resolution

Intra-group licensing helping you avoid unregulated sharing of intellectual property

Cross-border licensing and advice on how intellectual property licence agreements should be interpreted in that jurisdiction

Sub-licensing

Establishing a franchising network transferring ownership of intellectual property by way of assignment

Registration at the UK Intellectual Property Office or the EU Patent Office affording you certain protections

Essentials of licensing intellectual property

Getting the right legal support with intellectual property and licensing means that you will avoid common pitfalls and get the essentials right, first time.

Working with you to understand your business needs, we will help you answer the following questions when drafting an intellectual property licence agreement to ensure long-term commercial benefit:

  • Has the description of the intellectual property been clearly defined?
  • Has ownership of the IP been clearly established and is the licensor confident that they have the right to license the IP?
  • What will the duration of the licence be?
  • What type of licence will be granted – exclusive, non-exclusive or sole?
  • What fee structure will be set out in the licence?
  • What restrictions apply to the use of the IP?
  • Will the licensee have the right to modify or develop the IP?
  • Is the licensee permitted to sub-license the IP?
  • May the licence agreement be assigned to a third party?
  • Does the licence agreement include any warranties?
  • What will happen if things go wrong? Does the licence include any indemnities in respect of potential losses that may be suffered by each party?
  • What remedies are provided for under the licence agreement?
  • Can the terms of the intellectual property licence agreement be varied by the parties? If so, how?

Benefits

What are the benefits of licensing intellectual property?

Safeguard your own innovations

Gain a competitive edge by licensing product and service advancements developed by your in-house team.

Save time and money

Reduce time spent on research and development with access to existing intellectual property that gets you to market quicker.

Access new tech and boost business credibility

Tap into existing intellectual property from third parties with the right agreement in place to secure your

Take the weight off your shoulders with shared risk

Develop product innovations without the risk of manufacturing, marketing and selling the product. With the right licence agreement in place you could be selling products that help scale your business without running the risk and incurring the cost of product research and development.

Create new revenue streams

By licensing intellectual property to other organisations, you generate additional revenue.

Improve your ability to move into other markets

Take advantage where a pre-existing owner of IP is logistically unable to move into other territories and enter into a licensing agreement that gives you the opportunity to move into that market.

Who we help

We support a wide range of UK-based clients in innovative businesses where the effective protection and utilisation of intellectual property is crucial, such as creative industries, retail and luxury brands, manufacturing and engineering and emerging technologies. We advise clients of all types, from university spinouts and start-ups to SMEs and large multi-nationals.


Testimonials

What our clients say

We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service for clients, but don’t just take our word for it.

Harper James has been invaluable. They drafted the relevant agreements and gave us sound legal advice in an area that we did not have prior experience in. As a start-up, having advice and feedback from an organisation that specialises in early-stage enterprises was instrumental in us having the confidence to push forward with our product
Dean Bryan Co-Founder, Yyoma
Amanda and Gemma were extremely accommodating at the lack of time we could dedicate to supporting the trademark applications and utilised the data we supplied to complete the applications in a speedy timeframe which was very much appreciated.
Jenny James COO, Findr Global
Easy to work with, quick responses, quick feedback if changes needed, gets things done. We consider the arrangement very worthwhile for Storelectric and would recommend to others.
Tallat Azad MD, Storelectric
Harper James have become a vital part of our business. We get quality advice from experienced solicitors at prices that other firms do not appear to be able to match.
Veejay Lingiah CEO, Flash Sticks
My colleagues and I have found them to be adept at dealing with the variety of challenges facing early stage companies. They are a trusted source for sound, sensible advice and practical deal management.
Jill Shaw CEO, Anvil Semiconductors
The advice set out in Rob’s initial IP audit has helped us create a clear road map for our IP. It has also strengthened our case to get the follow-on grant and with that now secured, I look forward to working with Harper James on the next phase of our IP strategy.
Lucy Fenn Head of Communications, eWATERservices
The solicitors I worked with were very knowledgeable about trade marks and they had prepared for our call, they explained our options to me in a very easy to understand way, they answered all my questions swiftly and they were clear and open about the costs.
Alexandra Macleod Executive Assistant, Evotra
Harper James has been invaluable. They drafted the relevant agreements and gave us sound legal advice in an area that we did not have prior experience in. As a start-up, having advice and feedback from an organisation that specialises in early-stage enterprises was instrumental in us having the confidence to push forward with our product
Dean Bryan Co-Founder, Yyoma
Amanda and Gemma were extremely accommodating at the lack of time we could dedicate to supporting the trademark applications and utilised the data we supplied to complete the applications in a speedy timeframe which was very much appreciated.
Jenny James COO, Findr Global
Easy to work with, quick responses, quick feedback if changes needed, gets things done. We consider the arrangement very worthwhile for Storelectric and would recommend to others.
Tallat Azad MD, Storelectric
Harper James have become a vital part of our business. We get quality advice from experienced solicitors at prices that other firms do not appear to be able to match.
Veejay Lingiah CEO, Flash Sticks
My colleagues and I have found them to be adept at dealing with the variety of challenges facing early stage companies. They are a trusted source for sound, sensible advice and practical deal management.
Jill Shaw CEO, Anvil Semiconductors
The advice set out in Rob’s initial IP audit has helped us create a clear road map for our IP. It has also strengthened our case to get the follow-on grant and with that now secured, I look forward to working with Harper James on the next phase of our IP strategy.
Lucy Fenn Head of Communications, eWATERservices
The solicitors I worked with were very knowledgeable about trade marks and they had prepared for our call, they explained our options to me in a very easy to understand way, they answered all my questions swiftly and they were clear and open about the costs.
Alexandra Macleod Executive Assistant, Evotra

Why choose Harper James Solicitors?

We can assist you with strategic analysis of your IP portfolio and support you with all your licensing requirements – from the licensing in of business-critical software to careful licensing out of your intellectual property.

Our IP licensing solicitors have a wealth of experience in successful IP strategy, IP exploitation and IP dispute resolution. We are experienced in identifying, protecting, exploiting and policing clients’ rights under extensive intellectual property portfolios.

Plus, we have all been recruited from top 100 UK law firms or from large international businesses and have advised clients both as external advisors and as in-house IP/brand management counsel. Find out more about the team here:


Pricing and service plans

Legal support designed
to fit your business needs

Our three transparent service plans are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:

Engage

Flexible access to senior solicitors at highly competitive rates

An alternative to our subscription plans, offering access to full service legal expertise on a project-by-project basis.

Extend

Comprehensive legal partnership for established businesses

Fully account managed and scalable annual subscription plan with support from a curated team of partners and senior solicitors, with up to 34% discount on our Standard Rates.




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Our commercial lawyers are based in or close to major cities across the UK, providing expert legal advice to clients both locally and nationally.

We mainly work remotely, so we can work with you wherever you are. But we can arrange face-to-face meeting at our offices or a location of your choosing.

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