Licensing Aphorisms: Making Deals in a Rule-Filled Anarchy May 3, 2007

Licensing Aphorisms: Making Deals in a Rule-Filled Anarchy
A SJBC-Orrick Legal Workshop - Thursday May 3, 2007

Agenda
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Registration, Networking & Lunch
12:15 PM - 2:00 PM Workshop

Nowadays, almost every Life Sciences company, large and small, needs to form alliances. Licensing is becoming more and more important. The percentage of drugs that originated in-house decreased from 80% in the 1970s to only 40% in 2000.

Licensing deals enable large in-licensing companies to strengthen their development pipelines, mitigate R&D risk, and access optimal delivery and manufacturing technologies. Small companies often need early-stage in-licenses from universities or industry labs in order to pursue their business plans. Large companies out-license in order to leverage IP assets they otherwise would not pursue, while small companies out-license to generate capital, as a way to validate their approach for investors, and to access developmental and regulatory expertise and marketing channels.

Licensing involves many sets of arcane rules about various kinds of intellectual properties, yet when it comes to when and how to make deals, the legal rules become less important than the anarchy of the marketplace. Clout, flexibility, and attention to detail are crucial watchwords in learning how to make deals and when to walk away. The presenters will describe approaches that have worked, and not worked, for them, and there will be time for discussion.

Presenter: Roger M. Tolbert, Partner, Corporate, Pacific Northwest Office, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Roger M. Tolbert assists clients in diverse industries with a wide range of intellectual property, contracting and alliance matters. Mr. Tolbert is a frequent speaker and program chair at educational programs that focus on protection and exploitation of intellectual properties.
Read his bio at http://www.orrick.com/lawyers/Bio.asp?ID=132206

About the San Jose BioCenter:
The San Jose BioCenter features state of the art lab and business space, a brand new Chemistry Analytics Lab and world class business development services for high potential bioscience companies.
The goal of the San Jose BioCenter is to advance technology for societal benefit and to catalyze economic development for community growth.

Official Website: http://www.sjbiocenter.com/