Browse Hierarchy SOLM078: Licensing Intellectual Property

The module begins with an explanation of the principles of intellectual property, contract and competition law as they relate to licensing contracts. The body of the module will be concerned with the character, structure and drafting of licensing agreements for the major forms of intellectual property to include patent, trade mark and copyright licensing. The module will examine in light of statute and case law, the key terms common to such licensing agreements including: ownership; grant of intellectual property; territorial exclusivity; invention improvement; sublicensing; royalties; warranties; indemnities and dispute resolution. The module will discuss current issues in the field of licensing including trade marks and selective distribution agreements; standard essential patents and FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) licensing; as well as copyright licensing, news aggregation; and technological self-help measures including blockchain technologies.