About LES and Licensing – Who We Are and What We Do
LES is an abbreviation of Licensing Executives Society. LES Britain & Ireland (LES B&I) is one of 32 member societies of the global umbrella organisation LES International (LESI) and is also one of the most active. It is the society for professionals and business people interested in licensing, the transfer of technology, and the commercialisation of intellectual property rights. Members of LES B&I include industry and university executives, scientists, engineers, academics, public officials, accountants, lawyers, patent and trademark attorneys, and consultants. The Society provides unique opportunities for multidisciplinary education and networking, locally and globally.
Through regular meetings of council, committees and special interest groups, members of the society are kept abreast of national and European Commission legislative proposals. They can also become involved at international level, and they have the opportunity to contribute to debate on crucial topical issues.
Conferences, regular meetings and special events across Britain and Ireland offer members excellent opportunities to explore licensing-related subjects in depth and to meet fellow practitioners from business and industry, academia and the professions. All members are entitled to attend international meetings and local meetings held by LES societies in other countries; they receive the influential international journal Les Nouvelles and they have access to the world-wide membership database. They have their names, contact details and self-entered information about their expertise, qualifications and interests entered on the membership database, which is a valuable business and networking tool.
Each year LESI hosts an annual international conference. In 2019 it was held in Yokahama, Japan and the next meeting in May 2020 will be held in Berlin, Germany. It was last hosted by LES B&I in London in June 2011. See the LESI web site. Also, watch the video on Highlights of LESI.
A Pan-European conference is held in an attractive European city in each year in which the international conference is held outside Europe. LES B&I last hosted this meeting in 2016. It was held in Madrid, Spain in September 2019.
A number of years ago LESI initiated the Young Members Congress. Aimed primarily, but certainly not exclusively, as those members under 40, it holds dedicated meetings and networking functions across the world as well as at each annual LESI conference. We were proud to host the 2019 LESI YMC Meeting in London.
LESI’s most recent initiative is the setting up of the Women in Licensing Alliance. WILA will serve as a gathering point for education on the international efforts advancing the skills and leadership of women, and offer international networking and mentorship opportunities. LESI is well positioned to bring women and men together from around the world to share experiences in professional advancement and cultivate a culture of inclusion and support for the advancement of women in licensing. As such, this is a very exciting development in the history of LESI and an exciting new benefit for our members.
Applications for membership are very welcome.
Also see Licensing Help, and see About Licensing, About Valuation, and About IP and Statistics. These pages have licensing and IP information and provide access to documents such as a licensing check list and selected links.
LES B&I is incorporated as Licensing Executives Society Ltd Company No. 01103462. The LES logo is a registered trade mark no 1093803.