International Trademark Licensing

Book excerpt: Increasingly, firms use licensing to exploit and commercialize trademarks internationally. In a globalized market, the free flow of goods and services by means of licensing requires detailed knowledge of national legal provisions and principles that apply to agreements of this type. This chapter-by-chapter comparative overview on the law and application of trademark licensing worldwide – including chapters on such key commercial jurisdictions as the EU Member States, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, and Japan – is written by a team of experienced and distinguished attorneys, each representing a particular country. Each contributor describes and analyses legal challenges and offers practical guidance on licensing issues in his or her national jurisdiction. Within this framework, each chapter discusses such issues and topics as the following: country-specific regulations on trademark licensing; particular legal requirements to be complied with prior to entering into a license agreement; antitrust legislation affecting the scope of a license agreement; breach of a trademark licensing agreement; circumstances under which a breach of contract also constitutes a trademark infringement; permitted extent of non-compete or non-challenge clauses; licensee’s standing to sue third parties for trademark infringement; effect of invalidation or expiry of the licensed trademark on the agreement; and licensee’s right to claim entitlement to goodwill in the trademark, or a right to compensation, for investments made in the trademark. Because of the broad range and variety of countries covered, the book will be welcomed by legal practitioners dealing or coming into contact with trademark licensing in practically any jurisdiction. Taken together, the chapters provide invaluable insights into the similarities and differences among the covered jurisdictions, helping trademark holders and their counsel to understand the particulars of a specific market and deciding whether to enter it or not. It will also be valuable as a comprehensive resource for academic researchers or policymakers interested in the international harmonization of intellectual property licensing law.