Essential issues for patent and know-how licensing

An Expert View on how licensors and licensees can best protect their patent from Charlotte Tillett (pictured above, left) and Astrid Arnold from Stevens & Bolton.

Licensing plays an ever-increasing role in drug development and exploitation, as modern drugs become more complex, requiring more licenses, and as collaborations and consolidations flourish. The market now requires more licences, collaborations and consolidations, making it difficult for negotiators to navigate the market.

As a licence arrangement is usually intended to be a long-term working relationship, it is important it looks to the future of the products and the ownership of intellectual property (IP), and that it strikes the right balance between the rights of licensor and licensee.