Intellectual Property Licensing (IP Licences).

The most important thing is to make sure you name the right licensee to suit your requirements. This should be someone who is going to use your IP to its fullest potential and bring you the benefits you are looking for.

You will need to appoint someone who has the skills and infrastructure in place to bring the maximum reward, someone highly respected, capable with a proven track record and who won’t adversely affect your product or business.

Lanyon Bowdler has a wealth of experience in this field and works closely with trusted IP lawyers to ensure our client receives the right legal advice. We often advise on software licence agreements, trademark and copyright licence agreements.

We can also assist with other commercial contracts dealing with the creation and ownership of IP rights, including employment contracts, sub-contractor agreements, consultancy agreements and supply of services agreements.

The 2026 edition of Legal 500 states that “With the ‘professional, patient and friendly’ Grainne Walters at the helm, Lanyon Bowdler is experienced in all aspects of management buyouts and acquisitions of issued share capital. Covering industries ranging from packaging to transport, the Shrewsbury-based Walters is well-versed in business contracts and commercial law proceedings. In Ludlow, Edward Burrell is noted for his corporate law expertise, while Jennifer Edwards is noted for her data protection advice.”

The 2026 edition of Chambers UK recognised the team, saying: “Lanyon Bowdler offers expertise in a wide range of legal services. It has vast knowledge of such areas as acquisitions, sales, mergers, management buyouts and buy-ins, investments, reorganisations and commercial contracts, among many others. The department has noted skills in sectors such as agriculture, education and renewable energy supply.”

Strength

“They have a lot of skilled staff on hand to support various parts of the transaction when needed.”

“We felt confident with their advice at every stage.”

“They have Magic Circle expertise where the partner is closely involved and all at very competitive rates.”

An exclusive licence grants the licensee exclusive rights in the use of your IP, meaning you no longer have any say over how it is used. But it also generally means you will be entitled to a higher financial return.

A non-exclusive licence means you are not restricted to granting permission to just one party and can agree to grant as many licences as you wish. But this path typically results in a lower financial return and potential problems in managing a number of licence holders.

You can keep possession of your IP with a view to using it yourself by granting a sole licence – similar to an exclusive licence, these are not totally dependant on the licensee. While they can be safer than going down the exclusive licence route, the financial gain will not be so great.