Overview of Committee Functions
LESI has three types of Committees: (1) Management Committees; (2) Industry, Professional and Regional Committees; and (3) Ad Hoc Committees.
There are 12 Management Committees that are charged with overseeing various of the LESI operations and services.
There are 13 Industry, Professional and Regional Committees charged with providing content to LESI programs, conferences, meetings and publications as well as providing an interface with licensing professionals in different industry and professional sectors and in different regions of the world.
Both the Management Committees as well as the Industry, Professional and Regional Committees of LESI are “Permanent” Committees established and operating under the LESI By-Laws.
There are 3 Ad Hoc committees that are Committees that are chartered by the President under the By-Laws to study a specific issue and/or produce a specific deliverable. Their mandates are intended to be specific and are set specific period of time after which their mandate lapses unless otherwise renewed.
Management Committees
The Management Committees and their Missions are:
Audit
Reviews the financial records and reports of the Society at the end of each fiscal year, reports to the Board of Delegates on the results of its annual review, and advises the Treasurer and the Board of Delegates with regard to modifications and improvements to the financial record-keeping and reporting systems of the Society.
Awards
Reviews the qualifications of candidates for awards of honor or appreciation, including the gold medal award, of LESI and makes recommendations as to whether and to whom such awards should be granted.
Communications
Responsible for communications between and among LESI, LES Member Societies, and LES members worldwide. Its tasks include maintaining and developing the LESI Website and the publication and dissemination of Les Nouvelles. The Committee activities facilitate the wide dissemination of the discussions and deliberations of LESI and its committees and an exchange of information on matters of interest related to licensing.
Education
Responsible for the development and delivery of educational programs and materials of LESI, as well as of the LES Member Societies. Its tasks include the LESI University, the training of trainers for courses and the co-operation with other institutions in the development of educational materials.
Endowment
Responsible for receiving, reviewing, reporting on and making recommendations as to requests for funding from the LESI Endowment Fund which would be beneficial to the general membership of the LES Member Societies.
External Relations
Responsible for establishing and maintaining LESI’s contacts and relations with external organizations, in particular, international agencies and organizations, of interest to LESI in furthering goals of LESI.
Investment
Responsible for advising LES International on the investment(s) of the international society funds.
IP Maintenance
Responsible for the registration and maintenance of the trademarks and other intellectual property of LESI. This includes devising and implementing standards for the use of the LESI’s trademarks, logo and other intellectual property, monitoring compliance and responsibility for enforcement of LESI’s intellectual property rights.
Long Range Planning
Responsible for continuously examining the goals, objectives, roles and activities of LES International, as well as on the needs of the Member Societies, and to make recommendations to the structure, functioning and operations of LESI.
Meetings
Responsible for receiving, reviewing and providing recommendations as to bids for International Conference meeting sites, as well as any other meetings designated by the International President to the Board of Directors and delegates, and for establishing guidelines as to how International Conferences should be organized and conducted. The Meetings Committee also assists the individual societies in connection with the planning, organizing and running of International Conferences.
Membership
Responsible for receiving, reviewing and providing recommendations on the admission to and continued membership in LESI as an LES member society, for assisting LES Member Societies in their activities and for providing assistance in the organization and operations of national and regional professional organizations for eventual application to become an LES Member Society.
Nominations
Responsible for evaluating and nominating the candidates for officers of LESI, for their consideration for the positions by the LESI International Delegates, and for helping and advising the President and the President-Elect in the selection of committee members and chairpersons.
Industry, Professional and Regional Committees
The Industry, Professional and Regional Committees and their Missions are:
Americas
The America’s Committee provides a forum for promoting networking among its members, sponsorship of appropriate educational activities and keeping LES members worldwide abreast of the developments and events involving the licensing of intellectual property and the transfer of technology in the America’s.
Asia-Pacific
The Asia Pacific Committee seeks to promote and enhance cooperation and collaboration among the LESI societies in one of the most dynamic regions of the world today by sharing information, resources, and experiences, through regional activities, joint society activities, networking and creating more opportunities to build valuable relationships.
Chemicals, Energy, Environment and Materials(CEEM)
The mission of the Chemicals, Energy, Environment and Materials Committee is to serve as a focal point for the members of the oil, petrochemical, chemical, polymers, renewable energy, and associated industries by, inter alia, promoting networking among its member and sponsoring appropriate educational activities such as workshops, lectures, and seminars.
Consumer Products
The mission of the Consumer Product Committee is to provide LESI and its constituent Member Societies with information and content in the Consumer Products field within areas which are specifics in this industry segment such as control and monitoring of their IP assets by informing about new tools like web monitoring, brand protection through product serialization. The Committee will also deal with licensing-related practices such as franchising, merchandising and sponsoring.
Copyright Licensing
The mission of the Copyright Licensing Committee is to provide LESI and its constituent Member Societies with information about copyright licensing and its impact on company activities around the world and how they are affected by local law provisions and court precedents.
Dispute Resolution
The mission of the Dispute Resolution Committee is to monitor what is going on in Dispute Resolution, both concerning ordinary civil disputes and alternative dispute resolution, e.g. Arbitration and Mediation, and to study and report on developments in resolving disputes, including litigation, best practices in arbitration and mediation, and relevant changes in the procedural and substantive laws affecting resolution of civil disputes through litigation and arbitration in various jurisdictions.
Electronics, Information Technology and Telecommunications
The mission of the Electronics, Information Technology and Telecommunications Committee is to serve as a focal point for the members of the electronics, Information Technology and telecommunications industries by, inter alia, promoting networking among its members and sponsoring appropriate educational activities such as workshops, lectures and seminars
Engineering, Transportation & Physical Sciences
The mission of the Engineering, Transportation and Physical Sciences Committee is to identify topics of common interest to organizations involved in engineering, transportation and physical sciences, provide networking and education opportunities related to such topics of common interest and to identify, involve members of this industrial sector in LESI and coordinate and collaborate with related LES member society committees involved with similar industrial sectors .
European
The mission of the European Committee is: to keep abreast of developments in EU laws, cases, regulations, trade agreements and other matters relevant for tech transfer in the EU and to foster mutually beneficial relationships with the EU Commission, the EPO and OHIM, including through submissions to these bodies .
Industry, University & Government Transactions
The IUGT Committee provides a forum for networking, education and professional development for LES members working in public sector research organisations (PRO’s) including universities and government research laboratories, industry and law firms and other professional service providers interested in technology transfer and commercialisation.
Life Sciences
The mission of the Life Sciences Committee is to provide LESI and its constituent Member Societies with information and content in the Life Sciences field for educational, networking and promotion of the profession, and to encourage open dialogue among life sciences professionals.
Patent & Technology Licensing
The mission of the Patent & Technology Licensing Committee is to provide LES members with a focal point for the study, reflection and discussion of issues relevant to patent and technology licensing that cut across various industrial sectors, as well as a platform for participating in and promoting LESI’s activities, and in particular its educational activities, relating to patent and technology licensing.
Trademark and Character Licensing
The mission of the Trademark and Character Licensing Committee is to provide LES members with a focal point for the study, reflection and discussion of issues relevant to trademarks, characters, designs and merchandising, as well as a platform for participating in and promoting LESI’s activities, and in particular its educational activities, relating to trademarks, characters, designs and merchandising and the licensing thereof.
Ad Hoc Committees
The Ad Hoc Committees and their Mandates are:
LESI International Policy Positions
The committee will identify and define core policy principles relating to technology transfer and intellectual property on which LES International can and should take positions. The goal of the committee is to provide a guide for the Board of Delegates, the Board of Directors and committee chairs as to policies and positions on which LES International can take positions and respond to developments in a timely manner. An initial position paper will be presented to the Board of Delegates at its last meeting in 2010.
Standard Licensing Contracts
The committee will identify or develop standard license contracts capable of use in all countries. The goal would be to publish form license agreements of general application in most countries for patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret/know-how and hybrid licenses, with appropriate substitution provisions and explanations. Where the committee identifies and wishes to incorporate a standard contract from another source, it will obtain permission to use and publish it. The committee will present an outline of its proposed publication to the Board of Delegates at its final meeting in 2010 and will present a publication by the last meeting in 2013.
Valuation Consideration
The committee will identify issues, factors and methodologies used in giving value to IP portfolios or license deals. The goal would be to publish a practical overview of the valuation process with comments and recommendations as to approaches to such valuation. The committee will present an outline of its proposed publication to the Board of Delegates at its final meeting in 2010 and will present a publication by the last meeting in 2013. | 