You may be considering licensing your intellectual property (IP) if you're an IP owner. But what makes an IP “licensable”? The answer lies in building its value. The more valuable your intellectual property is, the more attractive it will be to potential licensing partners. This makes it more likely you will succeed in turning your IP into income-producing licensing deals. Here is how you can increase the value of your IP to license it.
Define Your IP Rights and Protect Them
The first step in creating value for your IP is understanding and protecting your rights with legal protection. If you've developed a new invention, consider filing a patent application with the USPTO. If you've created software or artwork, copyright registration will help protect your rights. Trade secrets are also crucial for businesses that rely on confidential information for their competitive advantage. Document all aspects of these processes so that future licensees know precisely what they get when they enter a licensing deal with you.
Conduct Research and Understand Your Market
It's also essential to conduct research and understand the market potential of your IP before entering into any agreements or negotiations with potential licensees. Doing this will give you insight into how much money you should be asking for and whether licensees would be interested in taking on your IP. Additionally, understanding the competitive landscape can help inform where to focus resources to maximize return on investment in marketing and other activities related to promoting your product or service associated with the licensed IP.
Develop an Effective Licensing Strategy
Once you have identified potential licensees interested in licensing your IP, developing an effective plan for commercializing it through licensing agreements is time. This plan should consider all aspects of monetizing the IP, including pricing strategies, royalty structures, geographic reach considerations, and other factors such as term length, exclusivity clauses, and termination rights. A good licensing strategy will ensure that any agreement is fair for both parties while maximizing revenue potential from licensed products or services associated with the licensed IP.
Demonstrate its Market Viability
To succeed in licensing, ensure your technology or product is validated! Instead of focusing on building a business and expanding channels, invest the money into proving how valuable what you have to offer is. Examples include testing out offers through social media platforms like Facebook or submitting IP/inventions for crowd-sourced tests – customer feedback can be one of the most effective measures for success when selling licenses.
Creating value for your intellectual property is critical when attracting licensees and turning your IP into income-producing licensing deals. You need to define and protect your rights by filing patents, copyrights, trademarks, etc., understand what market potential exists for your product or service derived from your IP, conduct research on competition within this space, develop an effective licensing strategy, and most important, validate its value through market testing or sales. Many steps are involved, but if done right can result in successful licensing deals that bring tangible rewards! As always, consult a lawyer before signing any licensing agreement!
About the Author
Rand Brenner is a licensing strategist, dealmaker, and founder of the IP Licensing Coach Academy. For more than 30 years, he has helped founders, startups, and operating companies turn intellectual property into scalable revenue through structured licensing campaigns, strategic partnerships, and commercialization agreements.
His work spans consumer products, medical devices, software, entertainment, and emerging technologies, with licensing programs that have generated millions in product sales and royalty income. Throughout his career, he has worked with both large brands and small innovators, showing how the right licensing strategy can open markets faster than building alone.
Rand is the founder of the IP Licensing Coach Academy, a platform that helps IP owners build deal-ready licensing campaigns step-by-step, without relying on guesswork, endless outreach, or one-off deals. His approach focuses on practical execution, real-world strategy, and turning intellectual property into long-term business assets.
