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Licensing Issues In Theory And
Practice:
Four Lessons Learned Handling Licenses

      John Storella
      Presentation to the IP Society
      August 2004
Four Lessons Learned Handling Licenses

     A license always entails some risk to the licensee’s
1.
     freedom to operate.
     Complex license structures invite misunderstanding
2.
     between the licensor and the licensee.
     Business people and lawyers may have different
3.
     interests and attitudes towards structuring and
     concluding agreements.
     When negotiating with the aggressive licensor,
4.
     understand both sides’ cost/benefit considerations.
1. A license always entails some risk to the
licensee’s freedom to operate
 This is because the licensee does not have
 complete control over the intellectual property it
 needs to operate its business.
 If circumstances change and you need to re-
 negotiate the license terms, the licensor usually has
 the upper hand.
 Example: Licensee needs expanded fields of use,
 rights to sublicense, rights to ancillary IP.
   The amendment generally benefits the licensee more than
   the licensor, so the licensor can exact a “transaction cost”
   to amend the license.
1. A license always entails some risk to the
licensee’s freedom to operate (cont’d)
 If serious misunderstandings arise, the
 licensor may send a notice terminating the
 license, causing enormous problems for the
 licensee.
 Example: Ciphergen v. MAS.
   Different understandings about the scope of the
   MAS licenses to Ciphergen resulted in significant
   market confusion and a lawsuit lasing over three
   years.
2. Complex license structures invite
misunderstanding between the licensor and
licensee

  A good rule of thumb – In addition to the usual grant
  language, one should, for clarity:
    Specifically allow, without limitation, the activities you know
    you want the licensee to do.
    Specifically disallow, as a limitation, the activities you know
    you do not want the licensee to do.
Start with the basic patent license
grant:
 Licensor grants licensee a license to make,
 use, sell, offer for sale and import any
 invention covered by the patent.
   This grant gives the licensee the right to infringe
   any claim in the patent with impunity.
   Limitations on activity generally will not be implied.
First complication – Limitations based
on inventions:
 Licensor grants licensee a license to make,
 use, sell, offer for sale and import any
 Licensed Product.
 Need to define whether “Licensed Products”
 include:
   “Things,” i.e., machines, articles of manufacture
   and compositions of matter, and
   “Methods,” i.e., processes
Second complication – Intellectual
property beyond the patent:
 Licensor grants licensee a license to make, use,
 sell, offer for sale and import any Licensed Product
 and to otherwise exploit the Licensed Technology.
   The license may be meant to cover not only patents, but
   associated technical information, such as trade secrets, not
   strictly covered by the patent.
   Contract law may place different exclusive powers on such
   IP.
Third complication – Field of use
restrictions:
 Licensor grants licensee a license to make,
 use, sell, offer for sale and import any
 Licensed Product and to otherwise exploit the
 technology in the Field Of Use.
 “Fields Of Use” can be limited by:
   Customers
   Place of use
   Activities
 Each can introduce ambiguity
Fourth complication – Parsing The
Grant Language:
 Licensor grants licensee a license to make
 and use but not to sell Licensed Products.
 Licensor grants licensee a license to make
 and sell but not to use Licensed Products.

 What is the difference between “using” in the
 Field Of Use” and “selling” into the Field Of
 Use?
Solution: If the grant includes any kinds of limitations,
specify allowed or prohibited activities that may be
ambiguous
  Licensor grants licensee a license … including,
  without limitation, the right to both sell the product to
  customers and use the product to sell services to
  customers.
  Licensor grants licensee a license … except that
  licensee may only use the product that it makes for
  its own use and may not sell product to customers.
     Such statements reduce ambiguity and the chance of
     misunderstanding.
  The good litigator will use any ambiguity as a wedge
  to move the solution toward what the client wants.
3. Business people and lawyers may have different
interests and attitudes towards structuring and
concluding agreements

  Lawyers’ interest: A clear document that has
  every conceivable contingency covered.
  Business persons’ interest: Concluding a
  deal having an acceptable level of risk within
  a time frame limited by market pressures.
  As a lawyer, your job is to make sure the
  business people understand the risks that
  they cannot eliminate.
4. When negotiating with the aggressive licensor,
recognize both sides’ cost/benefit analysis


  Situation: Your Company is approached with
  an offer of license by a desirous licensor
  asserting that its patent covers certain of your
  products or activities.
Some basic concerns:

 Does the licensor actually have the undisputed right
 to grant licenses under the patent?
 What does the licensor believe is the scope of the
 claims?
   The licensor may have a surprisingly different interpretation
   of the claims than you.
 What does the licensor want as compensation for
 the license, and how did the licensor arrive at this
 amount?
   What is a reasonable royalty and the royalty base?
To Determine The Amount Of Settlement,
Perform A Cost-benefit Analysis:
 The ultimate choice is between
   accepting an agreed-upon settlement amount
   having a lawsuit
Cost/Benefit Of A Lawsuit

 The licensor’s expected return on a lawsuit is, roughly:
   (expected damages) – (legal fees) = Expected return
   E.g., $3,500,000 (expected damages) - $3,000,000 (legal fees) =
   $500,000 (expected return)
   Factor-in other mitigating/augmenting factors such as finding of
   non-infringement, loss of patent, countersuit, willfulness and
   precedent.
 The target’s expected cost of a lawsuit is, roughly:
   (expected damages) + (legal fees) = Expected cost
   E.g., $3,500,000 (expected damages) + $3,000,000 (legal fees) =
   $6,500,000 (expected cost)
   Factor-in other mitigating/augmenting factors such as finding of
   non-infringement and willfulness.
Logic of the negotiation range:

 If target offers more than $500,000 then
 licensor should not sue
   Because the expected return on suit is less than
   the amount offered.
 If licensor requests no more than $6,500,000
 then target should accept settlement
   Because the cost of settlement is less than the
   cost of a lawsuit.
 Negotiation range is $500,000 to $6,500,000!
Settling on a number:

 Target can hold out until the offer approaches the
 lower end of the range -- $500,000.
 Any lawsuit by the licensor to compel the target
 toward the high end of the range would amount to a
 “spite” lawsuit – causing damage to both parties just
 to inflict more damage on the target.
   Spite lawsuits are not, rationally, in a party’s best interest.
   Do not always expect your opponent to act rationally – you
   are dealing with emotional human beings.
The Licensor Should:

 Initially ask for an amount near the high end of the range.
   Ask for a large royalty on a large royalty base.
 Try to force the target to make mistakes and bid against itself.
   Make the target go first in suggesting:
      Scope of claims
      Reasonable royalty
      Their own activities
   If you don’t like an offer, ask target to offer a better one
      Rather than making a counter-offer
 Make the negotiation process, itself, expensive for the target.
 Hope the target prefers settlement to suit.
The Target Should:

 Determine a reasonable claim scope.
 Calculate a reasonable royalty for the
 technology.
 Apply it to the royalty base as per the claim
 scope.
 Offer an amount between this and the
 licensor’s expected return on a lawsuit.
 Stick to its guns, and hang on!
John Storella
Special Counsel
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
650-849-3245
jstorella@wsgr.com

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Licensing Theory And Practice

  • 1. Licensing Issues In Theory And Practice: Four Lessons Learned Handling Licenses John Storella Presentation to the IP Society August 2004
  • 2. Four Lessons Learned Handling Licenses A license always entails some risk to the licensee’s 1. freedom to operate. Complex license structures invite misunderstanding 2. between the licensor and the licensee. Business people and lawyers may have different 3. interests and attitudes towards structuring and concluding agreements. When negotiating with the aggressive licensor, 4. understand both sides’ cost/benefit considerations.
  • 3. 1. A license always entails some risk to the licensee’s freedom to operate This is because the licensee does not have complete control over the intellectual property it needs to operate its business. If circumstances change and you need to re- negotiate the license terms, the licensor usually has the upper hand. Example: Licensee needs expanded fields of use, rights to sublicense, rights to ancillary IP. The amendment generally benefits the licensee more than the licensor, so the licensor can exact a “transaction cost” to amend the license.
  • 4. 1. A license always entails some risk to the licensee’s freedom to operate (cont’d) If serious misunderstandings arise, the licensor may send a notice terminating the license, causing enormous problems for the licensee. Example: Ciphergen v. MAS. Different understandings about the scope of the MAS licenses to Ciphergen resulted in significant market confusion and a lawsuit lasing over three years.
  • 5. 2. Complex license structures invite misunderstanding between the licensor and licensee A good rule of thumb – In addition to the usual grant language, one should, for clarity: Specifically allow, without limitation, the activities you know you want the licensee to do. Specifically disallow, as a limitation, the activities you know you do not want the licensee to do.
  • 6. Start with the basic patent license grant: Licensor grants licensee a license to make, use, sell, offer for sale and import any invention covered by the patent. This grant gives the licensee the right to infringe any claim in the patent with impunity. Limitations on activity generally will not be implied.
  • 7. First complication – Limitations based on inventions: Licensor grants licensee a license to make, use, sell, offer for sale and import any Licensed Product. Need to define whether “Licensed Products” include: “Things,” i.e., machines, articles of manufacture and compositions of matter, and “Methods,” i.e., processes
  • 8. Second complication – Intellectual property beyond the patent: Licensor grants licensee a license to make, use, sell, offer for sale and import any Licensed Product and to otherwise exploit the Licensed Technology. The license may be meant to cover not only patents, but associated technical information, such as trade secrets, not strictly covered by the patent. Contract law may place different exclusive powers on such IP.
  • 9. Third complication – Field of use restrictions: Licensor grants licensee a license to make, use, sell, offer for sale and import any Licensed Product and to otherwise exploit the technology in the Field Of Use. “Fields Of Use” can be limited by: Customers Place of use Activities Each can introduce ambiguity
  • 10. Fourth complication – Parsing The Grant Language: Licensor grants licensee a license to make and use but not to sell Licensed Products. Licensor grants licensee a license to make and sell but not to use Licensed Products. What is the difference between “using” in the Field Of Use” and “selling” into the Field Of Use?
  • 11. Solution: If the grant includes any kinds of limitations, specify allowed or prohibited activities that may be ambiguous Licensor grants licensee a license … including, without limitation, the right to both sell the product to customers and use the product to sell services to customers. Licensor grants licensee a license … except that licensee may only use the product that it makes for its own use and may not sell product to customers. Such statements reduce ambiguity and the chance of misunderstanding. The good litigator will use any ambiguity as a wedge to move the solution toward what the client wants.
  • 12. 3. Business people and lawyers may have different interests and attitudes towards structuring and concluding agreements Lawyers’ interest: A clear document that has every conceivable contingency covered. Business persons’ interest: Concluding a deal having an acceptable level of risk within a time frame limited by market pressures. As a lawyer, your job is to make sure the business people understand the risks that they cannot eliminate.
  • 13. 4. When negotiating with the aggressive licensor, recognize both sides’ cost/benefit analysis Situation: Your Company is approached with an offer of license by a desirous licensor asserting that its patent covers certain of your products or activities.
  • 14. Some basic concerns: Does the licensor actually have the undisputed right to grant licenses under the patent? What does the licensor believe is the scope of the claims? The licensor may have a surprisingly different interpretation of the claims than you. What does the licensor want as compensation for the license, and how did the licensor arrive at this amount? What is a reasonable royalty and the royalty base?
  • 15. To Determine The Amount Of Settlement, Perform A Cost-benefit Analysis: The ultimate choice is between accepting an agreed-upon settlement amount having a lawsuit
  • 16. Cost/Benefit Of A Lawsuit The licensor’s expected return on a lawsuit is, roughly: (expected damages) – (legal fees) = Expected return E.g., $3,500,000 (expected damages) - $3,000,000 (legal fees) = $500,000 (expected return) Factor-in other mitigating/augmenting factors such as finding of non-infringement, loss of patent, countersuit, willfulness and precedent. The target’s expected cost of a lawsuit is, roughly: (expected damages) + (legal fees) = Expected cost E.g., $3,500,000 (expected damages) + $3,000,000 (legal fees) = $6,500,000 (expected cost) Factor-in other mitigating/augmenting factors such as finding of non-infringement and willfulness.
  • 17. Logic of the negotiation range: If target offers more than $500,000 then licensor should not sue Because the expected return on suit is less than the amount offered. If licensor requests no more than $6,500,000 then target should accept settlement Because the cost of settlement is less than the cost of a lawsuit. Negotiation range is $500,000 to $6,500,000!
  • 18. Settling on a number: Target can hold out until the offer approaches the lower end of the range -- $500,000. Any lawsuit by the licensor to compel the target toward the high end of the range would amount to a “spite” lawsuit – causing damage to both parties just to inflict more damage on the target. Spite lawsuits are not, rationally, in a party’s best interest. Do not always expect your opponent to act rationally – you are dealing with emotional human beings.
  • 19. The Licensor Should: Initially ask for an amount near the high end of the range. Ask for a large royalty on a large royalty base. Try to force the target to make mistakes and bid against itself. Make the target go first in suggesting: Scope of claims Reasonable royalty Their own activities If you don’t like an offer, ask target to offer a better one Rather than making a counter-offer Make the negotiation process, itself, expensive for the target. Hope the target prefers settlement to suit.
  • 20. The Target Should: Determine a reasonable claim scope. Calculate a reasonable royalty for the technology. Apply it to the royalty base as per the claim scope. Offer an amount between this and the licensor’s expected return on a lawsuit. Stick to its guns, and hang on!
  • 21. John Storella Special Counsel Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati 650-849-3245 jstorella@wsgr.com