Granting a licence for your product or technology

What is a licence?

A licence is an agreement with which you give a company or person permission to use your creation. This is subject to conditions you choose. The agreement can be verbal or in writing. When you grant a licence, you remain the owner of your creation. In exchange, you can ask for a fee. For example, a percentage of the profits (royalties).

What can you use a licence for?

Licences are for products, services, or creations that are protected by intellectual property rights (IP rights). For example, protected by a patent, copyright, or design right.

With a licence, you give someone permission to:

• Produce, use, or sell a product or service that you have patented.
• Publish any type of creative work for which you hold copyright. For example, a photo, text, software, drawing, or film.
• Reproduce a design that you have registered in the designs register.
• Use a trademark that you have registered in the trademarks register.
• Grow plants of a variety for which you have plant breeders' rights.

Types of licences

There are different types of licences, such as:

• An exclusive licence for one person or business.
• A licence for several persons or businesses.
• An open licence for anyone who meets your conditions. For example, a Creative Commons licence.

You can also grant a licence for a specific country, or for a specific use. Or, for example, for the use of your creation in another product.

Entering into a licence agreement

If you have found a licensee, it is often worthwhile to enter into a licence agreement. This contract may include agreements about:

• What the licensee can and cannot do with your product.
• What fee you will receive for this.
• What happens if someone else copies the product without permission.

Finding licensees for your patent

Are you looking for a partner to license a product or technology for which you have a paten? Then you can find licensing parties in patent databases, for example, or through a knowledge broker. Knowledge brokers look for a suitable partner for the licensor and the licensee. They play a mediating role in this process.