Louis P. Berneman
Texelerate, LLC, President , Philadelphia, PA, USA

Iain Cockburn
School of Management, Boston University, Professor, Boston, MA, USA

Ajay Agrawal
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Peter Monk Professor of Entrepreneurship, Toronto, Canada

Shankar Iyer
Cornerstone Research, Senior Manager, Washington, D.C., USA

Initial Results of a Survey Conducted in Spring 2008 by The Licensing Foundation of LES (USA & Canada), on behalf of The Licensing Foundation.

This paper is the fifth report of the Annual Survey conducted by the LES Licensing Foundation. As in prior years, the survey was conducted by an online questionnaire of the membership of LES (USA & Canada). The data were obtained primarily in April/May 2008, and refer to the period 2007. Two related but distinct survey questionnaires were used, one for Technology Creators/Users (i.e. buyers or sellers, licensors or licensees), and one for Professional Service Providers (law firms and consultants).

The objective of this survey is, as in previous years, to provide an annual, synoptic perspective on events, and trends in “the business of licensing” that can assist licensing professionals in understanding and advancing the business environment in which they operate and to which they contribute. The survey also seeks to provide information about IP licensing which may be used by the public, academic researchers, government policy analysts, and others to grasp the issues and impacts of licensing business practices.