The Licensing Executives Society is a non-profit making professional and educational society of individuals, formed for the purpose of:

• Encouraging high standards, expertise and ethics among persons engaged domestically or internationally in the business of licensing or transferring technology or other intellectual property;
• Making governments, academics and business communities and professional bodies aware of the benefits of licensing and thus creating an environment in which the business of licensing can flourish.

To achieve this purpose, the Society has set itself the following specific objectives:

• To assist LES members in improving their knowledge, skills and techniques, by:
  • creating opportunities for networking between members (inter)nationally;
  • facilitating the exchange of ideas related to all fields of licensing;
  • sponsoring and providing educational activities and materials;
  • publishing articles, reports, statistics and other materials; and
  • conducting special studies.
• To inform and advise the business and academic communities and professional and governing bodies of:
  • the significance and importance of licensing; and
  • the high professional standards and the value of using LES members.
• To work actively in the formation of laws, regulations and procedures that facilitate licensing.

The Licensing Executives Society was founded in the USA in 1965 and now has an international membership of almost 12,000. Licensing Executives Societies have been formed in over eighty countries, of which more than twenty in Europe. Each national society is an autonomous body affiliated to LES International, the management and control of which is vested in a board of delegates. These delegates are appointed representatives from each national society, in proportion to their membership numbers. Every year they elect a Board of Directors to oversee the activities of LES International.

A number of specialists committees have been established by LES International and these are run by members of national societies. These members contribute both in time and resources to furthering the aims and objectives of their committee. Whilst a large part of the activities of LES is devoted to education, the Society is also working to inform the public, business community and government bodies of the economic significance and importance of licensing and technology transfer and the importance of intellectual property to all wealth-creating activities. For more information on the activities and products of LES, please visit also the site of LES International at www.lesi.org.