Purpose and Objectives

LES's purpose is to establish licensing as a profession, enabling its members to meet, to learn from one another and to encourage high professional standards among the individuals engaged in licensing of intellectual property rights and the transfer of technology.

The objectives of LES are:

• To function as a non-profit professional society encouraging high professional standards among individuals engaged in the transfer and licensing of technology and industrial or intellectual property rights.
• To assist its members in improving their skills and techniques in licensing through self-education, the conduct of special studies and research, the sponsorship of educational meetings, the publication of statistics, reports, articles and other material, and the exchange of ideas related to domestic and foreign licensing.
• To inform the public, international bodies, governmental and academic bodies, and the business community concerning the economic significance of licensing and the high professional standards of those engaged in the licensing profession.
• To make available to its members the latest, most accurate, information on licensing.

How these objectives are met at the regional, Benelux, level:

• Organization of regular meetings on licensing topics, with networking opportunities
• Educational opportunities, with enhancement of professional qualifications
• Attention to standards of ethical and professional behavior by members
• Publication of a quarterly LES Benelux eNewsletter

At the international level

In 1974, the overreaching international organization, LES International, was set up; LES is strictly non-political, and is free to grow by the creation of member societies throughout the world which conform to agreed professional standards, irrespective of politics or the state of technology development. On the 1st of July 2000, LES International was incorporated, and its official name is LES International Inc. Its Board of Directors is elected by a Board of International Delegates, the appointed representatives of each national or regional society

Committees

Committees have been established within LESI to gather and collate information of relevance to members' interests, to disseminate this to members by various means, and support their ongoing professional development: to provide interfaces for the membership with significant external organisations, and to make recommendations where relevant to the Board of Directors and the International Delegates for the efficient management of operations. Thus LESI may be said to have a matrix organisation; along one axis are the national or regional societies of LES, and along the other are the various committees of LESI, which draw their membership from these societies. The committees have various tasks and functions covering Professional, Industry Sector Management, External Relations and Operations.

To perform their tasks, all committees draw upon and integrate the knowledge and expertise of individuals within the LES societies, wherever these may be found. Many of the committees are standing, as set out in the LESI by-laws, but others may be set up by the Delegates' Meeting on an ad hoc basis, either to perform a time-limited task, or as a prelude to more permanent status. The LESI committees meet formally twice per year, as do the International Delegates from the societies.

To date 31 national and regional societies have been founded, representing 12,000 members in more than 85 countries worldwide. LES Benelux is one of the 14 European Societies. Each national or regional society, such as ours, is an autonomous body affiliated to LES International Inc., the management and control of which is vested in a board of delegates. These delegates are appointed representatives from each, in proportion to their membership numbers. Every year they elect a Board of Directors. For more information about LES International, please visit www.lesi.org.