Bulgarian Patent Litigation: The Non-Exclusive Licensee Claimant

Marketing a product that incorporates a patented invention across multiple jurisdictions gives rise to a variety of practical obstacles and considerations. Patentees adopt a wide range of policies and legal actions to reduce costs and mitigate the risks of actions being brought against them related to entering new markets. A common practice is granting non-exclusive patent licences to subsidiaries, companies within the same corporate group or unrelated third-party partners. This offers patentees a number of benefits, including cost sharing of the market entry, revenue generation from previously unexplored markets, and compliance with local administrative regulations and competition laws. The use of non-exclusive licences permits strategic partnerships and the expansion of large and complex corporate structures across the EU, maintaining control within the group while spreading the risks across multiple local entities.