Earlier this year, two licensors reworked their deals with important licensees, granting them perpetual licenses within their categories. This is a relatively uncommon deal structure where a significant upfront payment, typically in lieu of an ongoing royalty, gives the licensee ownership of their category indefinitely, with the IP owner retaining rights to the underlying brand. […]
Tag Archives | Starbucks
Here Come the Bridal Designers
High-end bridal designers who got their start specializing in wedding dresses, and remain well known for their creations in this space, have been expanding their licensing activity recently. Some are poised to get into licensing and collaboration in a significant way for the first time, while others are adding to a long list of existing […]
First Signs of Fall
The introduction of pumpkin spice-influenced products in restaurant chains, consumer packaged goods, and pop culture—a signal that summer is turning to autumn—begins earlier every year, with sightings as soon as mid-August. Naturally, licensed products and collaborations are in the mix. Some of the strategies for pumpkin spice-related initiatives include: Focusing on flavor. McDonald’s and Kraft […]
Building a Case for Blockchain
Blockchain is a decentralized ledger—essentially a database—for securely tracking and storing a string of sequential information. It offers the ability to create a transparent, tamper-proof, and trustworthy record of ownership, value, chain of custody, authenticity, and other attributes of an individual product over time, from raw materials through sale and resale. Pilots based on blockchain […]
Quick-Service Clothing
In the last few months, several quick-service and coffee shop brands have announced promotional initiatives involving limited-edition apparel and accessories, typically handled through their advertising agency or marketing department rather than through a licensing rep: Taco Bell partnered with Forever 21 to design an apparel collection including hoodies, bodysuits, tops, and anoraks that feature the […]
On Unicorn Foods and Other Social Media Trends
Over the past few years, licensors and licensees have been looking to social media, especially YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram, for product development ideas. For example, a licensor might note that fans are creating their own room décor featuring one of its characters, and seek licensees for craft kits, wall art, or other as-yet-unexploited products that […]
All You Can Eat
Food-to-food licensing, in which food and restaurant brands extend into non-core food and beverage sectors that represent a good fit with their flavor profile or positioning, continues to proliferate. Taking a look at some of the deals announced within the last year and a half shows the wide variety of food and beverage categories impacted: […]