The Business Side of a License
The business issues behind agreements can be confounding. The 2026 AUTM Annual Meeting featured an outstanding presentation, “The Business Side of a License,” by Jenna Matheny and Brian Shedd where they discussed the various terms found in licenses and other agreements using real-world case studies. Topics included starting and ending the business term negotiations on the right foot; licensing to established companies versus startups; the relationship between license fees, maintenance fees and royalty terms; when and how to set diligence terms and milestone payments; and when and how to take equity in the licensee and milestone payments and control issues.
