Never before have innovation and the business of intellectual
property (IP) commercialization and licensing been more heavily
relied upon to spur new business than in today’s sagging global
economy. With this in mind, the Licensing Executives Society (USA
& Canada), Inc., today honored companies in five industry
sectors with the prestigious Deals of Distinction™ Awards
for outstanding IP-based business deals undertaken in the past
year.
Now in their 6th year, the Deals of Distinction™ Awards
are presented to the best deals in the Chemicals, Energy,
Environment and Materials Sector (CEEM); High Tech Sector;
Industry-University-Government Interface (IUGI) Sector; Life
Sciences Sector; and Consumer Products Sector. Here are the 2010
winners:
Chemicals, Energy, Environment and Materials
(CEEM) Sector Winner
BASF and the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Argonne National Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National
Laboratory and BASF are being awarded for a worldwide licensing
agreement for the mass production and marketing of Argonne’s
patented lithium-stabilized NCM (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese-oxides)
cathode materials, which are used to manufacturer advanced
lithium-ion batteries.
The patented cathode materials licensed to BASF are part of a
large and diverse suite of lithium-ion battery inventions and
patents developed at Argonne with funding from DOE’s Vehicle
Technologies program. The license covers the broadest scope of NCM
chemistry that can be used in today’s lithium-ion batteries. This
includes lithium stabilization (molar ratio of lithium to other
metals greater than 1) of known NCM materials, such as 111, 424,
and 523, which improves power characteristics, cycle life and
safety of current lithium-ion technology.
The further development and commercialization of the cathode
materials will result in advanced high-energy batteries that are
higher-performing, more cost-efficient and safer when compared to
existing technology. Among other things, the agreement is sure to
have strong implications for expanding the availability of plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles.
“The patented technology involved in this license agreement
appears to be significant in reducing some of the "down sides"
(perceived or real) to battery technology for hybrid and
all-electric vehicles,” said Jeff Wendt, CEEM Sector Co-Chair for
the Deals of Distinction™ Awards. “Cost reduction and better
performance are the hallmarks of basic science and technology, and
make license negotiations that much easier when there are practical
applications for the improvements. We can all be
thankful for the hard work of Argonne’s scientific
team and the foresight of the BASF team in verifying the
quality of the science through licensing and
commercialization. In a nutshell, this is how it is supposed to
work!"
CEEM Sector Chair, Bob Payne added, “This year’s award winner
promises to be one of the most meaningful deals ever recognized by
our sector because it has the potential to improve the environment,
provide economic growth and create new jobs. We wish the award
recipients great success with the efforts conducted under this
world-wide license agreement.”
High Technology Sector Winner
ICAP Ocean Tomo and the University of
Southern California (USC)
The LES (USA & Canada) High Technology Sector Deals of
Distinction™ Award goes to the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation
for its groundbreaking license of 11 patents arising from the USC
Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education,
related to Digital Multimedia Library Cataloging and Search
Technologies.
The technology was originally developed to provide a means to
archive, index, and search the nearly 52,000 video testimonials of
Holocaust survivors and other witnesses collected by the Institute.
The Institute was founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg after he
completed the film Schindler’s List. Today, its collection is one
of the largest video digital libraries in the world.
Partnering with ICAP Ocean Tomo, the intellectual property
brokerage division of ICAP, USC Stevens Institute for Innovation
leveraged the ICAP Ocean Tomo Spring 2010 Live Auction to complete
the transaction.
In contrast to an outright sale, the auction of the exclusive
license from USC enabled the university to raise significant funds
while maintaining ownership of the underlying assets. The
transaction is seen as a "game-changing" approach for universities
and government research organizations, enabling them to raise funds
in a manner consistent to their underlying mission. For USC, the
funds raised by the university through the auction will be used to
promote continued research and innovation.
Industry-University-Government Interface
(IUGI) Sector Winner
AstraZeneca & University of
Pennsylvania
In February, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and
AstraZeneca forged a new collaborative research agreement,
featuring a significant licensing component, that makes use of
their respective talents and resources to generate new Alzheimer’s
Disease (AD) drug candidates for the clinical development
pipeline.
Penn Medicine’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research
(CNDR) will provide rapid access to unique state-of-the-art drug
compound screening assays and knowledge of the biology of tau, a
protein known to play a key role in dementias. In turn, AstraZeneca
scientists will supply basic research with access to the
technologies and skills required to discover and develop new drug
molecules.
The agreement allows the parties to work closely together in
drug discovery and development, and contains potential royalties
and milestone payments linked to successful clinical development
and eventual worldwide marketing of tau-targeted therapies for
AD.
"The IUGI sector applauds this partnership, which is an
excellent illustration of the interface between industry and
academia that our sector strives to promote,” said IUGI Sector
Chair Elaine White. “In establishing this ongoing relationship, the
interests of both parties will be well-served, and we anticipate
that it will yield meaningful advances that will have a significant
impact on a highly needy patient population."
Life Sciences Sector Winner
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Genzyme
Corporation
In May 2009, Genzyme Corporation acquired the worldwide rights
to a potential breakthrough treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
along with three marketed oncology products from Bayer Healthcare
Pharmaceuticals.
In this highly complex licensing deal, Genzyme assumed primary
responsibility for the development and commercialization of
Campath®/MabCampath® for MS, continuing the co-development
collaboration between the two companies and retaining for Bayer the
opportunity to co-promote the product, if approved, leveraging the
company’s experience and relationships in the MS market. The
agreement also expanded Genzyme’s commercial presence in
hematologic oncology with the acquisition of worldwide licenses for
three of Bayer’s hematologic oncology products, including Fludara®,
Leukine® and Campath for B-cell Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
(CLL).
"The Genzyme - Bayer agreement illustrates the merit in
looking beyond just the dollars to focus on the strategic value to
each company and the impacted therapeutic areas,” said Catherine
Oyler, Chair of the LES Life Sciences Sector. “As companies
work to balance and advance their portfolios, this type of multiple
therapeutic area collaboration represents a creative approach to
deal-making. We are delighted to recognize this innovative
partnership between Genzyme and Bayer with this award.”
Consumer Products Sector Winner
GlaxoSmithKline and NanoBio
The Consumer Products Sector Deals of Distinction™ Award was
presented to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and NanoBio, a privately-held
biopharma company, for their exclusive licensing agreement in the
United States and Canada for the over-the-counter (OTC) use of
NB-001. Phase 2 clinical trials have shown this patented compound
provides significant antimicrobial activity.
GSK Consumer Healthcare leads the United States OTC cold sore
category with Abreva, the only OTC treatment shown to shorten cold
sore healing time. NanoBio’s novel patented compound NB-001
represents the next advance in the treatment of cold sores, through
its significant activity against the virus that causes cold sores,
herpes labialis.
“We are thrilled to see more products being developed that have
a direct route to the Over-the-Counter medicines and get in the
hands of the consumer,” said Robin Sitver and Rimma Driscoll,
Consumer Products Sector Co-Chairs. “This will be a novel product
in the line of OTC cold sore products.”
About the LES Deals of Distinction™ Awards Program
Started in 2005, the LES Deals of Distinction™ Award Program
recognizes worthy transactions involving licensing and transfer of
intellectual property and promotes creative and innovative
solutions to business issues involving contracts. Nominations with
the support of a LES member are considered and, with input from
that industry, recommended by the LES Deals of Distinction™ Awards
Committee and ratified by the LES Executive Committee. The criteria
for the 2010 awards included distinctive deals in structure or
objective, consummated in 2009, with at least one party having a
presence in the U.S.A. and Canada. The physical award is hand
sculpted glass by the artisans of Parris-Roché Design Studios,
consisting of a pair of entwined blue glass ribbons encased in a
clear conic pinnacle, symbolic of parties coming together and
obtaining superior results through collaboration. The awards were
announced in connection with the 2010 LES Annual Meeting in
Chicago, USA, held September 26-29, which included participation of
nearly 1,000 licensing executives. For more information on the LES
Deals of Distinction™ Awards, see http://www.lesusacanada.org/dda.
About the Licensing Executives Society
(USA & Canada), Inc.
Established in 1965, the Licensing Executives Society (USA &
Canada), Inc. (LES) is a professional society comprised of 5,000
members engaged in the transfer, use, development and marketing of
intellectual property. The LES membership includes a wide range of
professionals, including business executives, lawyers, licensing
consultants, engineers, academicians, scientists and government
officials. Many large corporations, professional firms, and
universities comprise the Society's membership. LES (U.S.A. &
Canada), Inc. is a member society of the Licensing Executives
Society International, Inc. (LESI), with a worldwide membership of
over 11,000 members in 32 national societies, representing over 90
countries. For more information on LES, see
www.lesusacanada.org.