Scope is the whole deal
Field of use, territory, exclusivity, and sublicensing rights define what you kept and what you gave. We draft them as the deal, not the boilerplate.
Practice · IP · Licensing
IP Licensing
A license can turn intellectual property into a revenue line — or quietly give the asset away. We structure trademark, copyright, technology, and brand licenses so the scope, royalties, territory, and reversion all hold up: revenue where you want it, control where you need it.
- Bucket
- IP — split
- Engagement
- Per matter
- Counsel
- Christopher Moye
Licensing
Scope is the whole deal
Field of use, territory, exclusivity, and sublicensing rights define what you kept and what you gave.
The problem
A license is the one document that can give the asset away while looking like it protects it.
Most licensing disputes trace back to terms that were vague when the deal felt friendly: an undefined field of use, a royalty base that does not match how revenue actually flows, no audit right, no clean way to terminate or take the rights back. The terms are decided in the drafting, not in the dispute.
Principles · 01
How we draft the matter.
Every engagement is composed against these commitments. They shape the protections we add, the questions we ask, and the document that leaves the file.
Royalties follow the real revenue
A royalty base, minimums, and reporting that match how money actually moves — so the compensation is collectible and auditable, not theoretical.
Reversion protects the asset
Termination, quality control, and reversion terms that let you take the rights back intact if the relationship ends or the licensee underperforms.
What we watch · 02
What can break the matter.
These are the terms, structures, and practical risks that usually decide whether the work holds when the file is tested.
FOUNDERENTERPRISE
Royalty structure
Upfronts, running royalties, minimums, milestones, and sublicensing fees set against a defined royalty base — with an audit right that makes the numbers verifiable.
FOUNDERGC
Field of use and territory
Exclusive or non-exclusive, by market, channel, and geography — drafted so one license does not foreclose the next one you want to grant.
CMOSTUDIO
Quality control and reversion
For brand and trademark licenses, the quality-control terms that preserve the mark, plus the termination and reversion mechanics that return the rights clean.
The work · 03
Four steps. One engagement.
Each step is concrete; each step has a deliverable. The scope is defined, the matter moves, and the file closes.
- 01
Asset and goal review
We confirm what you own and what is licensable, then define the commercial goal — a revenue line, a market entry, a partnership — before any terms are drafted.
- 02
Term sheet
We reduce the deal to a term sheet: scope, exclusivity, royalty structure, term, and termination — the points that decide the value, settled before the long-form draft.
- 03
Agreement drafting
We draft the license in enforceable terms — representations, audit rights, quality control, indemnities, and reversion — and negotiate the points that carry risk.
- 04
Audit and enforcement
We build the reporting, audit, and termination mechanics into the agreement so compliance is monitored and the rights are recoverable if the deal goes wrong.
Proof
What stands behind the work.
What stands behind the work — credentials and representative engagements, stated plainly.
Licensing and IP matters are handled by Christopher Moyé, Esq., who authors the firm's published writing on intellectual property.
Trademark, copyright, technology, and brand licensing — drafting, negotiation, royalty audits, and reversion.
Every license starts from a term sheet that settles scope, royalty, and termination before the long-form draft.
Common questions
Questions clients ask.
Plain answers to the questions that come up most. If yours is not here, send the facts — we answer in writing.
- What is the difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive license?
- An exclusive license gives one licensee the rights within a defined field, territory, or term — and can prevent even you from using the IP there. A non-exclusive license lets you grant the same rights to others. The right choice depends on whether you are maximizing reach or protecting a single partner's investment; we draft the scope so the answer is deliberate, not accidental.
- How are licensing royalties usually structured?
- Common structures pair an upfront fee with running royalties on a defined base — net sales, units, or revenue — often with annual minimums and milestone payments. The terms that matter most are the definition of that base and an audit right; without them, the reported number is whatever the licensee says it is.
- Do I need a written license, or is a handshake enough?
- Put it in writing. Some IP licenses are unenforceable without a signed writing, and even where an oral license might be argued, the scope, royalty, and termination terms are exactly what a dispute will turn on. A clear written agreement is far cheaper than litigating what was meant.
- Can I get the rights back if the licensee underperforms?
- Only if the agreement says so. We build reversion and termination triggers — missed minimums, quality failures, breach, insolvency — so the rights return to you intact rather than sitting frozen with a licensee who is not using them.
- What is quality control, and why does it matter in a trademark license?
- A trademark owner who licenses the mark without controlling the quality of the licensed goods or services risks a “naked license,” which can jeopardize the mark itself. We include quality-control and inspection terms so licensing the brand does not weaken it.
REVENUE WHERE YOU WANT IT, CONTROL WHERE YOU NEED IT
Structure a license that holds.
Bring the deal you are negotiating — or the asset you want to license out. We draft the scope, royalty, and reversion terms that protect the IP while opening the revenue.
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