Founded in 1965, the Licensing Executives Society (LES) is an organization that supports, represents, and connects nearly 3,000 IP, business, and technology licensing professionals. LES provides members with best practices, education, mentoring, networking, and participation. Membership benefits are many and include chapter events, access to the LES directory, industry connections, social media channels, industry publications, certified licensing professional (CLP) certification, CLP preparation courses, free education, career center advantages, and registration discounts.

At Pellegrino & Associates, we are a big proponent of this organization and all that it offers the IP industry. This is why we are so actively involved. Our company president Mike Pellegrino is currently treasurer of LES. He is also the chair of the patent valuation standards committee established by LES, whose charter is to pursue American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accepted standards for the valuation of patents in a variety of contexts including financial reporting, capital formation, economic damages calculations, and others. Mike is also a member of LES’s public policy committee, seeking to help set standards for intellectual property-focused regulatory matters with the SEC and others. He is also a member of LES’s standards committee for IP use in the boardroom.

While our expertise within the organization is on IP valuation, LES strives to find standards for many IP areas. These areas include the following: ISO/TC 279 innovation management, IP protection in the supply chain, FRAND licensing, IP licensing, IP management for startups, intangible assets in the boardroom, IP valuation, and IP brokerage.

Working together with IP professionals around the world, LES represents one voice for the IP management community. It supports a variety of organizations including corporations, law firms, consultant/service providers, universities/government, entrepreneurs, and students in various industries such as life sciences, high technology, consumer products, and others. We are proud to be a part of and to support this prestigious organization. To learn more, visit the LES website at https://www.lesusacanada.org/. Also, be sure to check out the Events section to learn about the annual LES meeting.