New license terms for companies sponsoring research at UGA
Industry Express
Industry sponsors can tap the expertise of UGA faculty and secure patent rights arising from sponsored research through three new pre-paid agreements. Industry Express agreements provide a flexible business approach while removing the financial uncertainty that can be associated with access to university-developed patent rights.
Express 1
Limited-term Exclusive License
5-year exclusive worldwide license to all inventions arising from the sponsored project.
- Sponsor pre-pays greater of $5,000 or 5% of total sponsored research budget.
- No running royalty or annual minimums are required.
- Rights are non-sublicensable.
- UGA welcomes negotiation to extend the license rights at the end of 5-year term.
Express 2
Fixed-royalty Exclusive License
Exclusive worldwide license to all inventions arising from the sponsored project for the life of the licensed patent rights.
- Sponsor pre-pays greater of $5,000 or 5% of total sponsored research budget.
- License requires 1.5% initial base royalty on all licensed product sales.
- Rights are sublicensable.
- Royalty rate increases by an additional 1% on licensed product sales over $50M per year.
Express 3
Paid-up Exclusive License
Exclusive worldwide license to all inventions arising from the sponsored project for the life of the licensed patent rights.
- Sponsor pre-pays greater of $15,000 or 15% of total sponsored research budget.
- No initial running royalty, annual minimums, or sublicensing fees are required.
- Rights are sublicensable.
- License requires 1% royalty on licensed product sales over $50M per year.
Traditional Option
The traditional exclusive option to negotiate a royalty-bearing license to all inventions arising from the sponsored project is still available. This option has no up-front fee and allows sponsors exclusive access to negotiate for desired intellectual property rights for up to six months after project completion.
All Agreements
The following terms apply to all Industry Express and traditional option agreements:
- Sponsor actively participates in patenting activities and pays all patent expenses during the term of the sponsored project and any option or license.
-
Sponsor retains a perpetual right to make internal use of data and results arising from the sponsored project.
-
Background patent rights are not included but may be available separately. Please inquire.
Express Agreement Eligibility Requirements
- Only new projects with no significant alterations of work plan or budget are eligible.
- Sponsor funds entire work plan.
- Sponsor pays full overhead rate for project.
- UGA principal investigator agrees that project patent rights can be pre-obligated.