Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP will be a key sponsor of the 8th annual Licensing Executive Society (LES) Foundation Graduate Student Business Plan Competition. Knobbe Martens has donated an in-kind prize of up to $20,000 USD for preparation and filing of a U.S. patent application for one of the finalist teams.
More than 78 entrepreneurially-minded graduate student teams from around the globe have participated in this year’s LES Foundation competition. Each team submitted a business plan to be judged by a world-class panel of intellectual property business experts, representing a variety of industry sectors. The business plans focus on groundbreaking technologies and services, and emphasize intellectual property. The six finalists, including three teams from the United States, will receive an all-expenses paid trip to present their IP-based business plans at the finals in London, England June 4, 2011. This is the first year that the competition is being held outside of the United States.
The winning team will take home a $10,000 USD grand prize. All finalist teams will receive $1,000 and will have the opportunity to select from a pool of in-kind prizes, which includes the in-kind sponsorship provided by Knobbe Martens. The LES International Global Award and $5,000 will be presented to the team whose plan best handles intellectual property rights and their use in the global business environment.
Art Rose, partner in the Knobbe Martens Orange County office, is President of the LES Foundation. The LES Foundation was formed by the Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada) to increase the understanding of licensing of intellectual property rights and to communicate the critical role licensing plays in bringing creativity and innovation to the commercial marketplace. For more information on the LES Foundation and the competition visit www.lesfoundation.org
Consistently ranked among the top intellectual property firms in the nation and worldwide, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP has over 275 lawyers and scientists nationwide and dedicates its practice to all aspects of intellectual property law including litigation. Knobbe Martens serves a diverse group of clients from multinational corporations to emerging businesses of all stages. The firm is headquartered in Orange County, California, with offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and enjoys an international reputation for excellence. More information about the firm can be found at www.knobbe.com