61 results about "Licensee" patented technology

This disclosure provides an improved system and method of licensing intellectual property rights. This disclosure relates to intellectual property licensing arrangements involving a plurality of patents or other intellectual property assets that may be licensed by or on behalf of the owner(s) to one or more entities, and in which a system and method is provided for assembling a portfolio of assets that are complementary in nature; negotiating royalties with prospective licensees who are users or prospective users of all or some portion of that complementary asset portfolio; and allocating among the owners of the assets comprising such portfolio the royalty revenue thereby earned in consideration of granting certain enumerated rights in, to and under those intellectual property assets, in whole or in part, to such one or more licensees.

A content descriptor is received at a download server on a network from a remote content server, which is coupled to the download server through a computer network. The content descriptor is indicative of a selection by a user transmitted from a wireless client device to the remote content server and relating to a digital product hosted by the remote content server. The content descriptor is used by the download server to obtain the digital product from the remote content server. The digital product is then downloaded from the download server to the wireless client device via a wireless network. The content descriptor may include information such as a reference for use by the download server in locating the digital product, information describing the digital product, price information relating to the digital product, and/or information specifying a licensee of the digital product.

Use of rights-managed content is enabled by a digital license that includes the identity of the licensee. The licensee redistributes the content by sending a package containing the content and the license to another party. That other party obtains a license to use the content by contacting a license server, and preferably pays a fee for this license. During the contact with the license server, the licensee's identifying information is uploaded to the license server, which allows the license server to determine who distributed the content to the other party. The license server can use this information to reward the original licensee for having redistributed the content.

A method of placing a discrete value on an intellectual property asset through a series of associations and calculations that determine the proportional contribution of an intellectual property asset to the competitive advantage of a related product in a real market. The methodology of the present invention first associates the intellectual property asset with a related tangible asset that embodies the intellectual property asset. After a set of parameters that define the tangible asset are identified, the tangible asset is quantitatively compared to competing tangible assets in the marketplace to determine its overall competitive advantage relative to those competing assets. The contribution of the intellectual property asset to the average competitive advantage of the tangible asset in which it is embodied is calculated by first comparing the intellectual property asset to substitute intellectual property assets that are embodied in competing tangible assets and associated with the same parameter. Next, the intellectual property asset is compared to complementary intellectual property assets that are included in the same tangible asset and associated with the same parameter group. Based upon the proportional competitive advantage contribution of the intellectual property asset to the average competitive advantage of the tangible asset, a percentage of the tangible asset's present value is assigned to the intellectual property asset. The present invention can also be used for planning development of pre-market products, calculating the value of a license to a licensor and licensee, and selecting among alternative research and development investments.

A computer-implemented method and system for determining breach of duty in premises liability for an accident is provided. In one embodiment, breach of duty may be determined from characteristics of the accident. Characteristics may be provided to the computer system and evaluated to determine the breach of duty. In an embodiment, characteristics may include an insured type. Breach of duty may be determined for a claimant that includes an invitee, licensee, or trespasser.

Various techniques for software license inventory and asset management are disclosed. A fingerprint may be generated and associated with various copies of software applications installed on a software licensee's computer systems. Upon generation, each fingerprint may be stored in a license information database system along with relevant license information for that copy of the software application. A software inventory tool may then be used to collect fingerprints on installed copies of software applications and provide these fingerprints to the license information database system to obtain the corresponding license information. The output of the software inventory tool may be used by a licensee to comply with software license agreements and/or efficiently allocate information technology resources. Methods and systems that provide and process secured, dynamic and persistent tagging of software deployments and usage are also disclosed.

An intellectual property trading exchange is disclosed for facilitating the trading of intellectual property rights. The exchange includes at least one intellectual property license contract relating to intellectual property rights and a forum configured to allow a plurality of participants to trade the license contract. The plurality of participants includes at least one seller, which may be the owner, having the license contract and desiring to trade the license contract. The plurality of participants also includes at least one buyer desiring to obtain the license contract. The buyer may be an investor, speculator, market maker, or arbitrageur, who purchases the license contract to achieve appreciation. The buyer also may be a licensee, who purchases the license contract to practice the intellectual property rights.

A computer controlled implementation for distributing portions of a license to use software entities, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to subsequent secondary licensees comprising determining a dividable value for the primary license to use a software entity, enabling the primary licensee to grant a portion of the dividable value of the primary license to use the software entity to a secondary licensee, enabling the licensor, the licensee and the secondary licensee to add value to said values of the licenses and tracking said value of the license and of the portion granted to said secondary licensee.

User-to-user (“superdistribution”) of digital content allows for management and control of the distribution by a content owner, content distributor or other owner or licensee of the content. Provisions are also available for identifying senders and receivers of content for purposes of compensating or encouraging distribution. A sending user generates a referral key that is used to encrypt all, or a portion of, the content, or to encrypt other mechanisms (e.g., another key, ticket, etc.) that will ultimately be used to allow access to the content. The sending user creates a content referral object that includes the restricted referral key, an identification of the license server and an identification of the content. A receiving user receives the content referral object and contacts the license server to identify the transaction (e.g., content being referred, access rights desired, etc.) and to receive information (e.g., a key or ticket) to use the referral key to access the content.

A method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material are described. In each, at least one license key is provided, preferably along with a license including usage rights for requested content or material to the licensee. The material requested and licensed by the licensee is provided to the licensee encrypted with at least one content key. To achieve a second-level of security, the at least one content key is provided to the licensee encrypted with the at least one license key so that both the at least one content key and the at least one license key are necessary for the licensee to decrypt and use the encrypted material.

A procedure for the protection of computer software and/or computer-readable data against unauthorized use includes the encoding of the software by the licenser dependent on license parameters, the storage of the software at the licensee, the encoded transmission of the license parameters from the licenser to the licensee, and the automatic decoding of the software dependent on the stored license parameters during the use of the software by the licensee. The encoding of the software is initialized dependent on a secret Firm Key (FK) freely selected by the licenser. The encoding of the transmission of license parameters occurs dependent on a secret Private Serial Key (SK). The decoding of the software or data is initialized dependent on the Firm Key (FK) selected by the licenser. A protective device is linked to the computer of the licensee and includes a memory for the storage of license parameters of different licensers.

Multi-computer data transfer and processing supports electronic content clearance and licensing. Data is transferred by external communication between separate computers which themselves are distinguishable processing entities, such as a licensor station, a licensee station and a licensing system station accessible by a tiered access web site. Licensors submit content, and demonstrative content samples, searchable by licensees. Licenses, which may be generated and delivered electronically, may be granted or denied according to predetermined parameters or analysis of licensing requests. The system may be fee-based, advertising-based, membership fee-based, or may charge a royalty per transaction, and may collect and distribute licensing fees. License progress may be tracked. Licensed content may be delivered and tracked online, and confirmed by licensees by accountings. The system may track royalties based upon these uses, with payment reminders sent to licensees when payments are due, and default notices in the event of late or missed payments.

Rights clearances management for assets, such as media assets. A rights brokerage service enables potential licensees to clears rights to use assets within designated projects, such as advertising campaign projects. The potential licensee uses an interface to select or identify an asset without necessarily accessing the asset itself. The rights holders and the rights held by each rights holder are identified based on the asset identity. A request is automatically issued to the rights holders to approve use of the asset for the project. The potential licensee may use an interface to track progress of approvals from the rights holders. Unenforceable rights are detected and approval is automatically obtained. If all enforceable rights are cleared, the asset may be committed for approval by a project manager or other authority. When approved, a license to use the asset is automatically created between the potential licensee and each of the rights holders.

A system for use on the Internet or other network to allow automated licensing of works of authorship and access to information about licenses which have been granted. A unique work identifier is issued to each of a large number of works of authorship, most of which are available on the Internet, but some of which are not. When the works are published, whether or not on the Internet, the unique work identifier is included. The work identifier may also identify a distributor of the work or any other information desired by the publisher. The unique identifier leads to a web page where a user can accept an offered license to do one or more of: reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or prepare derivative works. The system then automatically generates a unique license identifier which is placed in each copy of the work prepared by the licensee. The license identifier leads to a web page which states the particulars of the license that was granted.

A computerized intellectual property trading exchange is disclosed for facilitating the trading of license contracts relating to intellectual property rights or pools of intellectual property rights. The exchange includes at least one intellectual property license contract relating to intellectual property rights or pools of intellectual property rights and a computer-accessible forum configured to allow a plurality of participants to trade the license contract. The plurality of participants includes at least one seller, which may be the owner, having the license contract and desiring to trade the license contract. The plurality of participants also includes at least one buyer desiring to obtain the license contract. The buyer may be an investor, speculator, market maker, or arbitrageur, who purchases the license contract to achieve appreciation. The buyer also may be a licensee, who purchases the license contract to practice the intellectual property rights.

A computerized intellectual property trading exchange is disclosed for facilitating the trading of license contracts relating to intellectual property rights. The exchange includes at least one intellectual property license contract relating to intellectual property rights and a computer-accessible forum configured to allow a plurality of participants to trade the license contract. The plurality of participants includes at least one seller, which may be the owner, having the license contract and desiring to trade the license contract. The plurality of participants also includes at least one buyer desiring to obtain the license contract. The buyer may be an investor, speculator, market maker, or arbitrageur, who purchases the license contract to achieve appreciation. The buyer also may be a licensee, who purchases the license contract to practice the intellectual property rights.

The invention provides a method for monitoring and monetizing an investment security in a business. An investment entity provides capital in return for a share of business entity's revenue. Preferably, the business entity is a potential or current licensee or franchisee of a licensed or franchised business that would be under the obligation to pay a licensor or franchisor a fee that also is based, at least partially, on revenue. In this way, the share of the business entity's revenue received by the investment entity may be validated by comparing it to a revenue-based fee paid to a third-party (i.e., the licensor or franchisor).

To provide an assisting method for creating an intellectual value together with information requesters. Second intellectual property management systems SLs1 to SLs3 provided in second-class licensees given sub-licenses for system use from a first-class licensee make requests for intellectual property information to a first intellectual property management system MLs provided in the first-class licensee in response to requests from user systems US1 to US3 having demands for creating intellectual properties. The first intellectual property management system MLs publishes a search result of intellectual property information, which is obtained in response to a request from a user system US4, on a browser screen customized for the first intellectual property management system MLs itself, and allows the user system US4 to browse the search result. Moreover, the first intellectual property management system MLs publishes search results of the intellectual property information requested of the second intellectual property management systems on browser screens customized for the second intellectual property management systems, and distributes the search results. The second intellectual property management systems SLs1 to SLs3 allow the user systems US1 to US4 to browse the browser screens.

A computer-based system and method partition and classify process technology, offer and provide access to that partitioned and classified process technology, license the technology according to selections made by a licensee, and also, optionally, integrate and educate. By compartmentalizing discrete aspects of an otherwise homogeneous manufacturing process, licensees are able to obtain at a reasonable rate only that Process IP that is of need, or within budget, for the licensee. The licensor is able to increase revenue by increasing the amount of licensing activity since licensing only portions of an entire process has more appeal to a wider licensing audience than potential licensees interested in licensing the entire process.

A computer program storing computer instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for the centralized public sale of intellectual property trust certificates issuing from the securitization of intellectual property assets, the securitization initiated by an analytical entity and managed by a management company, the securities sold as intellectual property trust certificates to an investor having access to a central database by a banking institution and the program comprising: a recording medium readable by the computer; and the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including: reporting to the central database an evaluation report of the aggregation for soliciting investment; reporting to the central database a title certificate; reporting to the central database a licensing agreement report for the aggregation for licensing intellectual property assets to licensees; reporting to the central database a description of an intellectual property securitization fund for guaranteeing the intellectual property trust certificates; reporting to the central database a royalties receivable report for the aggregation; reporting to the central database an intellectual property securitization fund statement; reporting to the central database a surveillance report; and reporting to the central database an intellectual property trust certificate chain of title report.

A method, and corresponding system to implement the method, for managing access to concurrent software licenses at a licensee facility includes the steps of (i) determining whether a user has a valid software license to run a software application using a license management system (or a license server); and (ii) permitting a recognized user to run the software application (optionally with a punishment) if the license server is inaccessible. The permitting step can be performed only if the user has previously been authorized with a license management system. The punishment can be, for example, a time delay imposed between when the user attempts to run the software application and when the recognized user is permitted to run the software application. The time delay can be stored on a local workstation used by the user, as for example, an encrypted code key in a register of the local workstation. The punishment can be increased if the user subsequently attempts to run the application without authorization from the license server. The punishment can also be reduced if the user subsequently is validly authorized to run the software application using the license server. Other punishments such as impeding software operation, or limiting or modifying functionality of the software can be used.