The business world is increasingly ever-changing, and licensing agreements are important for business owners to protect their intellectual property rights. A licensing agreement also allows them to guard against infringement of their intellectual property. Transferring technology creates many opportunities, but also creates the potential for legal problems such as infringement. Issues involving copying software or violations of the licensing contract itself can occur.
How You Can Benefit From a Skilled Licensing Agreement Attorney
Whether you would like to license your intellectual property to a customer or you’re involved in licensing litigation, you need an experienced business contract attorney on your side. At Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, our licensing attorneys have the knowledge, skill, and experience required to protect our clients’ rights and interests. We have extensive licensing agreement experience in the U.S. and internationally. Contact Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace today to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about our legal services.
Our Licensing Agreement Services
Our business law lawyers assist in licensing negotiations and litigation, when necessary, to enforce licensing agreements. At Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, we provide the full range of patent licensing services, including the following:
- Developing and negotiating transfer and licensing agreements
- Developing licensing agreements regarding patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights
- Securing IP rights from developers and inventors
- Negotiating non-disclosure agreements
- Analyzing the potential licensing aspects of business transactions
Licensing Agreements and Negotiations
Licensing intellectual property to another person or company can be a helpful way to increase your profits. A licensing agreement, also called a licensing contract, is a type of contract in which one party grants another party the right to sell, produce, use, and/or display intellectual property. The intellectual property can include a copyright, logo, trademark, and/or patent. These types of contracts typically include a fee in exchange for the use of the protected intellectual property. The party who owns the intellectual property in the agreement is called the licensor. The party granted the license to use the property in limited situations is the licensee.
Determining the Value of Your Intellectual Property
Intellectual property portfolios are always valuable, but determining that value can be challenging. At Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, our intellectual property attorneys will help guide you through all phases of the licensing agreement process. We will begin by identifying essential patents of interest. We will also carefully negotiate and craft the terms of your licensing agreement in a way that protects you and your intellectual property.
Our intellectual property lawyers have technical backgrounds, allowing them to effectively examine patent portfolios for valuable assets related to particular companies, products, and industry standards. After identifying key patents, our licensing attorneys support our clients with periodic reviews of patent portfolios. We help clients implement the most strategic prosecution protocols for their intellectual property. We also prepare comprehensive claim charts that demonstrate patent infringement.
Licensing Litigation
When a party to the licensing agreement fails to follow through with their obligations, the other party can bring a breach-of-contract lawsuit. As with any other contract, when a breach of contract occurs, negative consequences result. Some of these disputes involve the licensee failing to pay the required royalties to the licensor. In other cases, the licensee will transfer rights to a third party without permission from the licensor or appropriate the intellectual property to use for their benefit by stealing it. The licensee may exceed the scope of the licensing agreement by using the material in a way that isn’t provided for in the agreement.
Licensing law is highly regulated by state and federal law. One example is the unauthorized use or appropriation of protected materials or copyright infringement. Both of these infringements may result in the violator facing severe criminal consequences, including criminal fines and jail time. Breaching a licensing agreement may expose the breaching party to liability in a civil lawsuit. When these types of breach of contract occur, litigation in a civil court may become necessary. The party who has suffered damages from the infringement can seek a large damage award from the violating party.
The Benefits of Working With a Skilled Licensing Agreement Attorney
Issues related to licensing agreements can be incredibly complex. In many cases, licensing agreements involve state and federal regulations. Experience licensing agreement attorneys are important because they understand all of the complex legal issues involved in your case. They can also help you negotiate the best licensing agreement possible and ensure that the agreement will protect you as much as possible. If you are the victim of a breach of contract, your lawyer can pursue damages against the party violating the agreement.
At Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, we offer our clients a full range of licensing agreement services. We assist our corporate clients with legal counseling to establish, maintain, and enforce their intellectual property rights. Our attorneys have a wide range of technical knowledge in the industries of electronics, biotechnology, software, computer architecture, and more. When you choose Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace to represent you and your licensing agreement matter, you can rest assured that we will handle every aspect of your licensing agreement issue from start to finish, providing excellent legal counsel and strategic advice.
Contact a Pittsburgh Licensing Agreement Attorney Today
Whether you would like to license your intellectual property or be involved in licensing litigation, an experienced licensing lawyer can help. At Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, our experienced licensing lawyers can assist with creating, negotiating, and reviewing a licensing contract agreement. We can ensure that you’re fully protected and represented in your licensing agreement. Should litigation arise, our trial-ready lawyers will protect your interests in court. Contact Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace today to discuss your licensing agreement matter with an experienced intellectual property lawyer in Pittsburgh.