By Jordan Markham*

A pdf version of this article may be downloaded here.

I.  Introduction

In uncertain times, or when dealing with uncertain partners, planning for the possibility of bankruptcy ex ante can provide a very real benefit to a party contemplating a patent licensing agreement.  Since the financial crisis of 2008, many contractual partners who formerly looked rock solid have experienced major cash-flow problems.  In addition, it has always been the case that in some fields of technology, such as biotech, a significant number of businesses are expected to fail.  Thus, it is important to think through at the outset how a license might be treated by a bankruptcy court, and where possible, to structure the agreement accordingly.  How to best do this will depend primarily on whether a party is the patentee or the licensee, and on the extent to which rights are transferred (i.e. whether the transaction results in a sale or merely a license agreement).  As we shall see, in the context of a bankruptcy proceeding, the patentee is generally better served by a greater, and a licensee by a lesser, transfer of rights.