Monetizing and Licensing Intellectual Property
Evaluating Your Intellectual Property
Your intellectual property may be your most valuable asset. Like any asset, proper management is required in order to protect your interests and realize the full potential of your investment in research, development and acquisition of new technologies, software, products and processes.
Providing a General Analysis of Your IP Situation
Kunzle, Needham, Massey & Thorpe (KNMT) can serve your immediate business interests and long term objectives by conducting a thorough IP audit to analyze patents, trademarks or other intellectual property and provide appropriate valuation of your intellectual assets for the purposes of selling or licensing them. We often consult businesses on how best to proceed with their IP assets.
We can also act to protect your intellectual property rights through business transactions and to take positive steps to ensure that your trade secrets are not stolen or misappropriated.
U.S. IP Licensing and Intellectual Asset Management Attorneys
Licensing agreements need not be lengthy, thorough or even particularly detailed to be enforceable. Preparation or review by an experienced intellectual property attorney may result in a licensing agreement that adequately protects the creator or inventor's rights. Experienced attorneys know which issues are likely to become contentious and can draft or modify contracts to avoid future conflict.
At K&M you will find intelligent guidance in forming IP licensing agreements that maximize the potential profit realization from your innovation by thoroughly addressing issues such as:
- Prohibited uses of your invention
- Licensee's rights to sublicense
- Rights to software source code
- Infringement and indemnity
Our goal is to help you obtain the full licensing fee, royalties or monthly lease payments to which you are entitled while preserving your intellectual property rights appropriately.
Trade Secret Protection or Patent: Which is Right for You?
We are a client-centric and consultative firm. Our goal is to provide you with innovative and high-quality service in the protection of your intellectual property rights.
In determining whether to patent a process, product or other invention, or instead to protect it as a trade secret, practical and potential considerations include:
- How will the patent limitation (generally 20 years) impact the overall profitability of the invention?
- Without patent protection, how will I protect my rights?
- If a confidentiality agreement is breached, how do I "put the cat back in the bag?"
- What role should investors or partners play in the decision to patent or to protect my rights under trade secret law?
Our experience and technical understanding of both the law and diverse industries and applications allows us to offer you wise counsel in making the smartest decision in both the near and long term.
The KNMT team can help you develop and implement a long-term strategy to realize the full potential of your intellectual property. Please call our offices in Salt Lake City at 801-994-4646 to schedule an initial confidential consultation. You may also e-mail us to set up an initial consultation.
