Argentina

Argentina has only a small patent licensing and technology transfer market. As such, these specialisations tend to fall within the range of services typically offered by general IP practitioners and most of the practitioners listed below combine licensing and technology transfer work with patent prosecution and litigation. However, as ... View full rankings

Australia

Australia’s economy has remained relatively buoyant through the global downturn. Licensing is an important mode of revenue generation for patent-owning companies, with cutting-edge innovations in the renewables sector recently catching the attention of many practitioners. Elsewhere, the pharmaceutical sector is still robust; as ... View full rankings

Austria

Austria escaped relatively unscathed from the global financial downturn and to date its compact licensing marketplace remains stable. IP lawyers note that one effect of the crash has been that companies are increasingly looking for ways to exploit unused rights, including through licensing their patents and technology. Licensing work ... View full rankings

Brazil

The Brazilian licensing market has opened up since a more liberal policy towards techology imports was adopted in the mid-1990s. Consequently, certain sectors – including oil and gas, energy, automotive, pharmaceutical and consumer products – continue to see steady activity. Attorneys at law take the lead in drafting and ... View full rankings

Canada

The Canadian market is transparent and mature, and the scope of industries in which licensing is a feature is nothing less than might be expected from one of the world’s most highly developed economies. Life sciences, telecommunications and information technology all remain major spheres of activity, although the economic ... View full rankings

China & Hong Kong

The pace of economic development in China makes for a dynamic licensing market. While inlicensing by foreign technology owners still dominates, this situation is changing as domestic companies become increasingly sophisticated and government initiatives to encourage innovation and patent filing continue. China is not a transparent ... View full rankings

Denmark

The global economic downturn has had a palpable effect on patent and technology licensing in Denmark. Austere conditions have encouraged IP owners to focus more efforts on enforcing their rights and many practitioners report a shift in their own workloads away from transactions and towards litigation and dispute resolution. In ... View full rankings

Finland

As in most key jurisdictions since the economic downturn, rights owners in Finland have embarked on a programme of cost cutting and strict enforcement of their IP rights. In many cases this has led to the more active pursuit of licensing strategies in an effort to maximise the value of existing intellectual property and avoid ... View full rankings

France

Most patent and technology licensing in France is done in-house and what remains is shared among a large number and wide range of practitioners, including litigation-focused lawyers, technology specialists and patent attorneys. At present, licensing work is mainly generated by the automotive, biotechnology and life sciences ... View full rankings

Germany

Germany remains a vital hub for technology transactions in Europe, with many companies licensing technology in and out, and also using licensing agreements to settle disputes. While telecommunications is arguably the hottest sector in the country right now, traditionally strong areas such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and ... View full rankings

India

Since the early 1990s, India has enjoyed strong economic growth, coupled with growing awareness of the importance of IP rights. In 2005 product patents for pharmaceuticals, food and chemicals were reintroduced. These factors have led to an increase in the volume of licensing work in India, although the market remains small by global ... View full rankings

Israel

Although licensing in Israel reportedly took a hit during the economic downturn, it now appears to be in a stable condition. Licensing is not the preferred method of gaining access to technology among some Israeli companies, which instead seek to acquire targets through specific patents. However, there is plenty of work to be found, ... View full rankings

Italy

In Italy, a relatively modest volume of patent and technology licensing work is shared out among a large number of practitioners, from international full service firms to small domestic outfits. It is a particularly fragmented marketplace, where no one industry is dominant and where transactions can arise in sectors ranging from ... View full rankings

Japan

Japan’s strong manufacturing history and appetite for consumer products make for a dynamic licensing marketplace, with significant activity in the in-licensing, out-licensing and cross-licensing of patents and technology. Japanese companies are traditionally nonconfrontational, preferring to settle with a licence rather than ... View full rankings

Mexico

The continuing advancement of the Mexican economy has prompted licensing across a diverse array of industries. Biotechnology is a key area of research in the university sector, and petroleum, renewable energy, telecommunications and agriculture are other important fields of development. Despite this, the market for high-end, complex ... View full rankings

Netherlands

As in many EU countries, competition and tax issues have brought significant pressure to bear on licensing deals in the Netherlands. In the opinions of some commentators, this favours full service practices such as De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and Hogan Lovells, which can integrate their licensing work with other departments; indeed, ... View full rankings

Norway

Norway is a small, but mature market, with key areas of technological development in the petroleum, life sciences and IT industries. Universities and research institutions commonly seek to commercialise their technology by way of patent licensing, technology transfer and collaboration agreements. In-house practitioners handle a ... View full rankings

Russia

Foreign rights holders are increasingly viewing Russia as a favourable location in which to manufacture and assemble their goods. Major licensing activity is ongoing in the IT, consumer goods and oil and gas industries. Despite a sluggish track record, licensing in the life sciences sector is also on the rise, as global pharmaceutical ... View full rankings

South Africa

As Africa’s most developed IP market, South Africa is experiencing continued interest in the patenting and licensing of technology, particularly in the pharmaceutical and mining sectors. South African universities play an ever greater role, with the government pumping money into research institutions to stimulate innovation. On ... View full rankings

South Korea

With an advanced and robust economy, South Korea is home to a significant number of global companies, including household names Samsung and Hyundai. It is little surprise that the in-licensing and out-licensing of patents and technology are dynamic fields right now. Although the country has long had a closed, highly concentrated legal ... View full rankings

Spain

In Spain, patent and technology licensing is largely handled by in-house lawyers, while the domestic private practice firms are generally focused on IP litigation and prosecution. As a result, most of the practitioners featured in our rankings have widespread expertise in contentious and ... View full rankings

Sweden

Most licensing activity in Sweden takes place in the IT, telecommunications, life sciences and automotive industries. There appears to be a growing preference among rights holders for licensing solutions over litigation or the outright sale of intellectual property. This is partly a result of prudence following the recent economic ... View full rankings

Switzerland

Given the number of major pharmaceutical companies headquartered in Switzerland, it is unsurprising that there is thriving licensing activity in the life sciences sector; but the telecommunications industry is also a healthy source of work. However, much activity has gone in-house and Switzerland itself is not a key forum for the ... View full rankings

United Kingdom

The health of the UK technology licensing market is linked to the country’s economic recovery from the recent recession. Standalone licensing has accelerated as increasingly confident IP owners and users take advantage of commercialisation opportunities and reduced risks. A general increase in corporate activity since the ... View full rankings

United States - California

California is home to many of the world’s largest technology companies, creating what is arguably the world’s biggest market for IP legal services. Heightened sensitivity to the value of patents as a corporate asset means that licensing and transactional expertise are in particular demand. Since software licensing took off ... View full rankings

United States - Colorado

High-technology is a key economic force in Colorado and, as a result, licensing activity abounds. As the state continues to develop as a clean-tech centre, the emergence of gamechanging new technologies is also boosting licensing activity. The federal government is a major player and the general consensus is that it has become a more ... View full rankings

United States - DC Metro Area

The Washington DC Metropolitan Area is a key market for patent and technology licensing. The proximity of the International Trade Commission, the US Patent and Trademark Office and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit make it a thriving centre for patent litigation. As a direct result, substantial volumes of licensing activity ... View full rankings

United States - Illinois

In contrast to their peers on the East and West Coasts, lawyers in Illinois tend to have less specialised practices and typically combine litigation with transactional work and strategic counselling. However, this has in no way diluted the licensing expertise on offer, with the top lawyers in this market ranking as highly as in any ... View full rankings

United States - Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a hotbed of licensing activity for several reasons: Boston is one of the country’s foremost life sciences hubs and, with large life sciences companies licensing technology in order to generate new product opportunities, partnering and collaboration in the sector is on the rise. Massachusetts is also home to a ... View full rankings

United States - New York

New York’s booming licensing scene is diverse, with many different kinds of firm represented across the market. Clients are spoiled for choice: at one end of the spectrum are corporate and M&A heavyweights such as Simpson Thacher and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, both of which receive glowing testimonials for ... View full rankings

United States - North Carolina

North Carolina is experiencing rapid economicgrowth, thanks in part to Charlotte’s thrivingfinancial services sector, which is now thesecond-largest banking hub in the UnitedStates behind New York. Meanwhile, ResearchTriangle Park has become prominent as an ITand biotechnology centre. This trend isfuelling licensing activity in the state ... View full rankings

United States - Pennsylvania

A significant jurisdiction for patent and technology licensing, Pennsylvania has seen its main economic engine shift from traditional industry to high-technology. This change is particularly appreciable in Pittsburgh, where Google now occupies a building formerly used as a factory. This is reflected in our ranking table, which is ... View full rankings

United States - Texas

Although Texas is well renowned as a venue for patent litigation, it is also a hotspot for patent and technology licensing. Thanks to a wide variety of industries establishing themselves in the state, its status as a hightechnology centre has grown; technology development hub Austin has been dubbed ‘Silicon Hills’, while ... View full rankings