Licensing & IP Transactions

Strategic Counsel for Monetizing and Managing Intellectual Property

Schmeiser Olsen advises patent owners, technology companies, investors, and large enterprises in the negotiation, structuring, and execution of licensing and intellectual property transactions. We help clients maximize the commercial potential of their IP assets while managing legal risk, maintaining leverage, and aligning with long-term business goals.
Our attorneys provide practical, business-aware guidance across a wide range of licensing models—from outbound patent licensing and cross-licensing agreements to joint development deals and technology transfer arrangements. Whether licensing a single asset or managing an enterprise-wide portfolio, we work to ensure the terms of each transaction support innovation, investment, and growth.

Patent Licensing

We assist in negotiating and drafting patent license agreements across diverse industries, including semiconductors, medical devices, software, consumer electronics, and manufacturing systems. Our work includes outbound licensing for monetization or strategic partnerships, inbound licensing to access third-party technology or clear the way for commercialization, and cross-licensing between industry peers to resolve disputes or facilitate collaboration. We also advise on royalty structuring, enforcement rights, sublicensing, field-of-use restrictions, and portfolio segmentation to align licensing terms with internal business goals and valuation models.

Our experience in patent prosecution and enforcement gives us insight into how patent scope, claim coverage, and enforceability shape the terms and strength of any license.

Technology & Know-How Agreements

Beyond patents, we assist clients with licensing proprietary know-how, trade secrets, and technical data in a variety of business contexts. We draft and negotiate technology transfer agreements, joint development and R&D collaboration contracts, confidentiality and evaluation agreements for early-stage deal discussions, and data licensing terms for AI platforms, software products, and scientific research tools.

We understand that many of these agreements operate across jurisdictions and product life cycles. Our counsel is tailored to help companies safeguard proprietary knowledge while enabling value-driven exchange and innovation.

IP Licensing in Transactions & Investments

We routinely support IP licensing as a component of broader corporate transactions—working with in-house counsel, deal teams, and outside advisors on mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, carve-outs, and spin-offs. We help define IP rights and license structures in connection with venture financing and equity investment deals, including license-back terms, retained rights, transfer restrictions, and risk allocation related to infringement, indemnity, or exclusivity.

Our role is to ensure that IP rights are not only preserved but clearly articulated and commercially useful in any transaction.

Enforcement-Driven Licensing & Dispute Resolution

Licensing strategy often intersects with enforcement. We assist rights holders and licensees with licensing programs designed to deter infringement or bring parties into compliance, as well as settlement agreements arising from litigation, PTAB proceedings, or parallel disputes. We also advise on breach of license, misuse of IP, and compliance issues, including audit provisions and royalty enforcement.

Our goal is to protect the value of our clients’ IP while minimizing conflict and preserving future commercial options.

Industries We Serve

Our licensing work spans a wide range of innovation-driven sectors. We regularly advise clients in software and SaaS, medical devices, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and diagnostics. Our experience also extends to advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, robotics, and aerospace systems. In the electronics space, we work with technologies involving semiconductors, telecommunications, wireless infrastructure, sensors, and hardware platforms.

We also support clients in emerging technology fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, blockchain, and quantum computing. For energy and sustainability-focused clients, we assist with licensing matters involving cleantech, battery systems, electric vehicles, grid technologies, and fuel innovation. Across these industries, we focus on structuring agreements that reflect both technical complexity and commercial intent.

Strategic Licensing Counsel for Complex IP Assets

Schmeiser Olsen provides experienced legal counsel to support high-value licensing deals, global IP portfolio management, and the integration of intellectual property into broader commercial and transactional strategy. Our team combines technical insight, legal precision, and business-focused execution to help clients realize the full value of their intellectual property.

Trademark and Publicity Rights Licensing

Trademark licensing is a core component of our practice. We regularly advise companies, brand owners, and product manufacturers on the development, negotiation, and enforcement of trademark licensing programs that support brand growth and commercial scale—while preserving legal control and maintaining the strength of the mark.

Our work includes drafting clear, enforceable agreements covering exclusive and non-exclusive licenses, product category and geographic restrictions, quality control provisions, royalty structures, and renewal terms. We help clients license trademarks in connection with product lines, distribution deals, franchising arrangements, and co-branding partnerships, with attention to both domestic and international use.
We also counsel clients on enforcement strategy, including licensee misuse, trademark dilution, and preserving goodwill through consistent brand usage. Where appropriate, we assist in coordinating registration strategy alongside licensing rollout to ensure that rights are properly secured in priority jurisdictions.

In addition to trademark licensing, we advise on the use and licensing of rights of publicity, including name, image, likeness, voice, signature, and other personal identifiers. We have experience working with companies that license content and brand rights from celebrity estates, legacy personalities, and well-known public figures—focusing not on representation of talent, but on helping licensees structure legally sound, commercially viable agreements.

These engagements often sit at the intersection of trademark law, advertising regulation, contract interpretation, and commercial IP enforcement. We provide strategic, risk-sensitive counsel tailored to brand longevity and business execution.

Strategic Licensing Counsel for Complex IP Assets

Contact Schmeiser Olsen ->