Licensing Executives Society Certified Licensing Professional Credentialing Program - Alternative Qualification Period Now Open

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Al Rickard, 703-402-9713 or arickard@associationvision.com

VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA, OCTOBER 30, 2007 - The Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada) Inc. (LES) has launched a certification program for the intellectual property (IP) licensing profession.

The program is called the Certified Licensing Professional (CLP), and the designation will offer an opportunity for IP licensing executives to earn a credential to validate their expertise and experience to employers, licensing partners, and other professionals with whom they interact.

Applications are now being accepted from experienced licensing professionals who have the required credentials to receive the designation without sitting for the new CLP exam.  Details are available at the CLP web site (www.lesclp.org). This alternative qualification (grandfathering) period ends December 31, 2007. 

These "grandfathering" candidates must have least five years of professional-level experience in licensing and demonstrate a broad spectrum of experience within the CLP exam areas. This includes qualifications such as holding a senior licensing position in an organization with annual licensing revenue of $10 million or more, being responsible for negotiating and/or drafting 10 licensing agreements, serving as an expert court witness or arbiter on licensing, speaking at IP conferences, writing articles or books on licensing, and signing an IP appraisal. Candidates will be expected to meet at least three of these criteria.

To become a CLP, candidates must meet requirements in three areas:

• Education - Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited university
• Experience - At least three years of professional-level experience involving the development, use, transfer, marketing, and/or management of IP within the past eight years.
• Knowledge - Pass the CLP examination

The CLP exam will include 150-200 multiple choice questions on subject areas including legal, intellectual asset management, valuation, negotiation and ethics, and licensing.
In the coming months, LES will develop test questions and work with a third-party testing company to structure the program and exam to include objective testing criteria. The first exam is scheduled for mid-2008.

LES will begin accepting regular applications on January 1, 2008, and plans to develop a study guide for the CLP exam by March 2008.

An independent Board of Governors will oversee the CLP program, and LES has engaged an outside agency to administer the testing and recordkeeping.

Professionals earning the CLP credential will be required to recertify every three years by accumulating 60 credits from activities such as attending IP licensing-related meetings, publishing articles, presenting at IP seminars and conferences, and paying a recertification fee.

Additional details on the CLP designation and procedures are available at www.lesclp.org.

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