Advice on IP Strategy at Women’s Leadership Forum

The Fifth International Women’s Leadership Forum hosted by Managing Intellectual Property, held in London on January 30, 2019, featured a range of speakers who discussed safeguarding IP rights. Finnegan partner Clare Cornell was one of the three featured speakers. Clare spoke extensively about generating income from IP assets, noting “Licensing-out IP can facilitate faster entry into new markets, particularly if you are a company that is well established in one jurisdiction and you want to enter another market.” She also discussed the importance of branding and the licensing-in of technology. “Companies can obtain access to branding and goodwill in order to supplement their product lines and bring interest into a particular retail area. They can take a license from a market leader and draw people to their business.” Additionally, she highlighted that a license can be used to avoid infringement action, when there is no appetite for litigation, and the importance of amending unfavorable terms incorporated in a license agreement.