In This Issue Return to LES Home Oh Canada! LES Annual Meeting Takes A Global View President's Message: Obvious Change Power Networking Hits The Mark Licensing Foundation Graduate Student Business Plan Competition Healthcare Sector: Decision Making Confirmed By Neuroeconomics CEMC Activities Annual Meeting Vancouver Atlanta Recap: On The Road In Atlanta: Supreme Court To NASCAR A Traveler’s Guide To LES Local Chapters Kansas City Here I Come Chicago, It’s My Kind of Town The Heart of Rock ‘N Roll is in Cleveland Chapter Launch, LES Québec LES E-vent Resource Center—Have You Tried It? Sponsorship Program Enhances Meetings And Education Book Review Are You Ready To Be A Deviant? Slate Of Officers And Trustees For 2007 Introducing The LES Certified Licensing Professional The Grandfathered CLP— Limited Time Offer! LES On The Go LES Calendar of Events		Introducing The LES Certified Licensing Professional Validation For Licensing As A Profession By Peter M. Ross The Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) designation is a new accreditation provided by LES (USA & Canada) to recognize those persons who are currently active in the multiple and complex aspects of the licensing profession, as well as those whose qualifications are clearly demonstrated through work experience, technical proficiency, range of knowledge and understanding of technology transfer, licensing, and the commercialization of intellectual property. Involvement in the various component phases of licensing such as patenting, opportunity marketing, negotiation, legal and intellectual asset management are also recognized. The CLP program has been tailored to represent the needs, wants and requirements of licensing professionals. LES has engaged an independent consultant to interview and converse with LES members and non-members alike, to determine the expectations of participants for this exciting offering. Value Proposition The CLP designation is being introduced by LES to enhance the licensing professional’s value profile within his or her organiza- tion as well as that individual’s community stature with practice counterparts in the licensing field. Several studies have shown a positive and significant return on investment in professional certification for both employers and professionals. CLP has benchmarked minimum standards for consistency of the individual licensing professional, and to project credibility for the designation. The accreditation will provide recognition of and validation to licensing professionals. Broad IP Industry Impact This certification program will appeal to those conversant in the multi-disciplinary aspects of licensing, regardless of their educational background, professional society membership, or professional development phase of their licensing career. The CLP recognizes mastery in the convergence of a number of necessary skills including intellectual property commercialization, finance, and understanding of legal concepts. It positively impacts employers and professionals, whether working in industry, government, academia, or professional services. In addition, CLP will have meaning and appeal to employers and seasoned licensing professionals who will now have an opportunity to select and mentor more credibly, qualified individuals who are committed to a longer term licensing profession. Education and Standards Experience coupled with education within the practice elements of licensing provide the platform for success in the testing requirements. Courses and educational materials available through selected professional licensing associations, including LES, together with formalized study manuals prepared for the purpose of review for the CLP examination are designed to provide an inclusive environment for licensing professionals from varied backgrounds. The CLP process is designed to be accessible to all licensing professionals. There is no pre-determined course curriculum nor subject specific continuing education programs required. The comprehensive examination is designed to assess mastery within the requisite elements of commercial licensing transactions. Re-certification every 3 years in accordance with established performance standards or re-qualification requirements assure the holder of a CLP designation of the ongoing integrity of the accreditation. Governance A Board of Governors is overseeing the standards and accreditation program, and the granting of the certification designation. This Board shall operate independently of the Board of the Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. and Canada), Inc. by virtue of a separately constituted 501(c) 3 entity, to ensure that the certification requirements remain appropriate and up-to-date and that the standards, ethics and expectations of the CLP designation are preserved. Through a controlled, one-time grandfathering process to benchmark CLP, it is intended that recognition of the benefits of and prestige associated with certification can be accelerated within the intellectual property marketplace. For more information, visit www.lesclp.org. The Grandfathered CLP— Limited Time Offer! For more than 40 years, LES has set the standard for best practices in the licensing profession, and now is the time for licensing professionals to be recognized in a formal and meaningful way. The Board of Governors responsible for the introduction of the CLP accreditation that serves to validate the credentials of a CLP candidate have elected to "jump start" the accreditation process through a one-time opportunity for experienced licensing executives in all industry sectors to apply for CLP certification under "grandfathered" status. In addition to being the inaugural class, those who are eligible to be grandfathered will serve as ambassadors to the industry for this very exciting initiative. Experience and a history in a lead role for significant commercial transactions will supplement the objective criteria established by the Board for confirmation as a grandfathered CLP recipient. The integrity of the CLP designation is founded on those who qualify under this opportunity, so the basis and guidelines for acceptance have been critically reviewed and evaluated. In addition, the prospective grandfathering candidate must be able to satisfy at least three of the following qualifications: ❑ Five or more years with an IP/Licensing organization. ❑ Senior position in licensing in a company or university with revenues of $10 million or higher. ❑ Lead negotiator of ten or more licensing agreements. ❑ Expert witness or arbiter admitted by the court on licensing. ❑ Taught 3 or more courses or workshops, or wrote 3 or more articles on licensing. ❑ Signed an IP appraisal. ❑ Drafted 10 or more licensing agreements. Confirmation by three independent references as to each of the three qualifications is also required. These grandfathered individuals will be the initial representatives to promote CLP, and advocate the use of and adoption by the licensing industry’s decision makers. The Board is acutely aware of the importance of the selection process—future candidates can be assured that those awarded the CLP designation will have met standardized criteria and will be genuinely deserving of the accreditation. The opportunity for application for designation under the grandfathering initiative will commence after the official launch of CLP in Vancouver and will remain open until December 31, 2007. The objective criteria developed seek to include experience with large and sophisticated transactions within a licensing environment, and all applications will be reviewed and recommended to the Board for acceptance. Full details, including the application form, are available on the Web site (www.lesclp.org) and will be regularly updated. And, the excitement continues as the very first grandfathered ambassadors for CLP will be presented with their unique designation at the joint LES/LESI meeting in Chicago in May 2008! Please understand that the opportunity for experienced licensing professionals to apply for the CLP accreditation and be among the first recipients will be available for only a few months and there will be no further opportunities after the closing of the grandfathering period. If you believe that you are eligible, take advantage of this special exemption provided during the grandfathering period and be among the first to become Certified Licensing Professionals!
Copyright© 2007 Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. and Canada), Inc.