10 Tips for Licensing Intellectual Property | Inc.com.

Licensing works for almost any kind of manufacturing business where brand recognition is important-apparel, housewares, accessories and so on, notes Sarabia. Even service businesses, like hair salons or lube and tuneup stations, can benefit from advertising an established brand name on the door. The key is to make sure the product you want to license makes sense within your industry and experience. “You need to build on your strengths,” notes Sarabia.

If you’re dreaming of licensing a huge name, remember that large companies sometimes have long-term licensing agreements (15 to 20 years) with other companies. In that case, consider the licensing opportunities with new and upcoming brands that are growing in prominence. A licensing agent–someone who knows which companies are looking for licensees–is a good source of information, says Sarabia. Two other sources to check out are the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association website, which has listings of licensing agents and a wealth of general licensing info, and License! magazine, which provides a marketplace of properties available for licensing at http://tracker.licensemag.com.

When finally negotiating the agreement, get help from a lawyer to ensure it’s fair to both parties. Pay special attention to the minimum sales and royalty payments required by the licensor, says Sarabia, and make sure you can realistically make those payments. A licensor can cancel the contract immediately if you’re not meeting the terms. It’s more difficult for a licensee to get out of an agreement if things go awry, so make sure to examine the fine print before you sign.

According to Sarabia, licensing success is definitely possible if you get the right product hooked up with the right brand: “If you think about the brands that make you successful [and] will fit with your company, [that] great brand . . . pulls your business right along with it.”

business – Licensee, License Do | Entrepreneur.com.

Entrepreneur – License to Thrive | Entrepreneur.com.

January 2011: Typing Trends for 2011 into Google on January 1^st 2011 gave us around 46 million results, so there is obviously no lack of people with opinions on what is in store for the year ahead.  The problem is there is so much out there that it is tough to sort the noise from the merely interesting to the extremely important.   So we thought we would give you a brief overview of where you can find some of the more interesting and important trend forecasts and predictions for 2011. As always, bear in mind that in a world as uncertain as ours such forecasts are not meant to be accurate. Treat them as directional and informed opinions on potential opportunities and challenges that can offer new perspectives to supplement your own thinking on what might be possible, feasible and desirable.  Don’t forget to look at top trends outside your own industry or market space – these may well cross over sooner than you think! We will pick up on many of these trends in our next GT briefings along with examples of how they are being – or could be – translated into action.

Licensing is a game that everyone can get involved in. And Rand walks you through the entire process no matter where you are right now.

So in Part Two, you’ll hear what your options are for getting started and how to determine your best approach.

You’ll also learn . .

* An almost unknown way to compete with the IP big boys
* Very simple tactic to lock up exclusive rights deals
* An “almost magic” way to get a fast-start in international licensing
* The one best way to avoid legal pitfalls
* 2 overlooked places to source IP
* The single, critical key to make your idea marketable for licensing
* The simple little tip that will show what your product is worth
* What the best industries are profit-wise for licensing
* How a small company can approach a big company and get a deal
* What categories are the “hottest” right now for licensing
* Who’s the right person to talk with at any given company
* Exactly where to go/what to do for making connections in IP
* Breakthrough solutions for drafting easy IP agreements

Licensing is a huge part of every market and a billion-dollar industry. The opportunities licensing offers are not only mind-boggling, they’re also completely obtainable – even for the average small business owner who’s struggling in today’s economy.

And in this interview, you’ll hear all about it.

Listen to Audio: Average Guy’s Guide to Licensin2g – Part 2

Download Part 2 PDF.

Licensing is a creative game with very little boundaries or limitations. Known as the poor man’s advertising, it can give enormous media exposure to even the smallest of businesses by leveraging off the popularity of movies, events, personalities or brands.

Licensing crosses over into all markets, can easily launch a product, expand a business, make a career, or make you a household name overnight.

And in this two-part seminar, you’ll hear all about it from one of Hollywood’s top dog licensing experts. His name is Rand Brenner.

Rand’s been in the licensing game since the early days when huge corporations were still guessing at how to make money from it.

He helped Warner Brothers Studios successfully license the first Batman movie and also helped Saban Entertainment make it big with the Mighty Morphine Power Rangers brand.

And in this interview, Rand shares his biggest (and easiest) secret techniques he’s learned along the way so you can make it big in the intellectual property licensing game.

Rand demystifies the truth about how use licensing as a shortcut to success even if you’re on a shoestring budget.

Part One: Exploring The Possibilities

According to Rand, timing is everything when it comes to licensing. So in Part One, you’ll hear surefire ways to identify licensing opportunities before the competition. You’ll also hear an overview of licensing with specific examples of how even the smallest of companies use licensing every day to expand their businesses and break into new territories.

You’ll learn . . .

* Examples of intellectual property licensing
* 5 quick-start steps for using it to make money
* A “can’t miss” way to get started.
* How to present yourself when putting license agreements together
* How to start with no prior experience
* Everything you need to find intellectual properties to license
* License VS selling . . . The truth about both.
* Exploding the education myth with IP licensing
* Steps to go from zero to making money in licensing in 90 days.
* Real-life insights into identifying lucrative licensing opportunity
* What your first move should be once you find a product to license
* The surprising reason why you don’t you have to be a lawyer

Listen to audio interview:The Average Guy\’s Guide to Licensing – Part 1

Download Part 1 PDF.

For more information about licensing, go to http://www.licensingsecretscom.com.