Westport, CT – Greg Battersby and Danny Simon, long-time licensing veterans, Licensing International’s Licensing Hall of Fame members, and previously published authors of a wide range of licensing books, have launched their latest licensing work, entitled Licensee Survival Handbook which is a how-to book expressly for manufacturers and licensees on how to seek and find the best license and how best to manage and administer the licensing program from start to finish to obtain maximum profitability. It targets manufacturers looking to take their first license and veteran licensees who want to improve their profitability.

The book, which the relevant trade association, Licensing International, endorses, includes a special contribution from members of Browne, Gordon & VanRaalte, LLC, plus contributions from more than 20 industry veterans, including former Licensing International (“LI”) Chairperson Carole Francesca; LI’s president, Maura Regan; Francesca Ash of Total Licensing, Roger Berman of Zen Works, Steven Heller of The Brand Liaison, Charles Schnaid of Miller Kaplan, Marty Malysz of Dependable Solutions, Andrew Schenkel of Double Play Agency, Menal McGrath of Dan Dee, and Ray Uhlir of LMCA.

Kent Press has published this book as part of its Licensing Trilogy, including the recently published Language of Licensing and Fundamentals of Licensing. It is available now on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and a Kindle version. Future distribution will include an audio version, which will soon be carried at Barnes & Noble, B-A-M, and other major book retailers. Review copies are available.

The book also encompasses a variety of relevant subjects, including extensive “Licensee Tips,” data privacy, artificial intelligence, advertising and social media issues, infringements and counterfeiting, and an interview with Changes’ Will Thompson about what retailers are looking for in licensed products. It also includes a valuable table of today’s average and median royalty rates, plus an extensive library of licensing forms and agreements.

Relevant chapters include:

• Defining the World of Licensing
• Who’s Who in Licensing
• The Licensing Industry Today
• Selecting the Right License
• Intellectual Property Basics
• The Licensor/Licensee Relationship
• Compensation, Valuation and Royalties
• The License Agreement
• Product Development and Licensing Management
• Marketing & Promotions
• Working with Manufacturer Reps and Consultants
• Accounting & Tax Issues

Industry vets are applauding the book, writing:

“This is a must-read for prospective licensees entering the licensing industry. With 30+ years of licensing experience, the authors provide great insight into what a manufacturer can expect to encounter at each stage of the licensing journey. I wish this book was out when I started licensing.” Roger Sharpe, Sharp Communications, “Pinball the Man who Saved the Game”

“In my 30 years in entertainment licensing, I have been on both sides of the licensing fence—licensor and licensee—and neither is easy! That’s why I found the Licensing Survival Handbook both quintessential and indispensable. With crystal clear text and Tetrs-like organization, Greg Battersby and Danny Simon provide a detailed map and toolset to allow us to navigate the wilderness of 21st-century IP Licensing. This book is an absolute must for any licensee to keep within reach!” Jeff Gomez, CEO, Starlight Runner

“I wish I had had Licensee Survival Handbook forty years ago when the publisher I worked for acquired an IP license that I knew could be bigger than a series of children’s books. This book is destined to become THE bible of the industry. The forms alone are worth so much more than the cost of the book. Battersby, the lawyer, and Simon, the dealmaker and creative genius, are the perfect industry veterans to learn from to navigate this constantly changing industry. This book will change your life.” Stephen D. Smith, President, Oasis Family Media.

Print editions are available in Paperback and Hardcover at $27.55 and $47.32, respectively, and a Kindle edition at $24.00. An audio edition will soon be available.

About Greg Battersby
Greg. Battersby is the managing member of The Battersby Law Group, an intellectual property law firm in Westport, CT. He has over 50 years of experience in patents, trademarks, and licensing law. He was previously a partner in Grimes & Battersby, associated with two major NYC IP law firms, and as Senior IP Counsel at Gulf & Western Industries (now Viacom), the then-owner of Paramount Pictures. He served as General Counsel for Licensing International for almost 25 years, was a member of its Executive Committee, and is a Licensing Hall of Fame member—the only practicing attorney ever inducted. He has been designated a “Super Lawyer” for Intellectual Property matters every year since its inception in 2006. Greg has written over 60 books on licensing and IP topics, including the two-volume, seminal book on merchandising, The Law of Merchandise & Character Licensing, published by Thomson Reuters/West. He turned his passion for baseball into a business, having invented a computerized video baseball pitching simulator that received 13 U.S. patents and runs ProBatter Sports (www.probatter.com), which manufactures and sells these simulators to customers, including MLB teams, colleges, and commercial facilities.

About Danny Simon
Danny Simon is a forty-plus-year licensing industry veteran with expertise in all phases of the merchandising and licensing process. Having built the licensing divisions for Lorimar Productions, 20th Century Fox, and Carolco Pictures. In 1992, he opened The Licensing Group in Los Angeles, CA, pioneering entertainment licensing focusing on the teen+ market. Beginning with the television program DALLAS, he was among the first to license adult, prime-time television entertainment, and with DYNASTY, he was the first to apply branding techniques to television shows. He also developed successful licensing programs for M*A*S*H, Fall Guy, Alf, Rambo, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Mortal Kombat, Baywatch, U.S. Secret Service, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and David Hasselhoff. He has also succeeded in film development. With MORTAL KOMBAT, he produced the first-ever film adaptation of a video game. He’s a partner in an entertainment development company that sold the rights to the MATT HELM book series to DreamWorks and Paramount, where it is currently in development as a motion picture. Danny taught a licensing course at UCLA. He’s a founding member of LIMA (now LI) and has been its president, a two-time member of its Board, and a member of its Licensing Hall of Fame. With Greg Battersby, he developed and serves as Co-Dean of LI’s Certificate of Licensing Studies (“CLS”) program.

About Kent Press
Kent Press is an imprint of Kent Communications Ltd., a CT-based publisher specializing in licensing and intellectual property topics and some specialty topics. It publishes Licensing Tales, The Business of Licensing, and the Licensing Trilogy consisting of The Language of Licensing, Fundamentals of Licensing, and the Licensee Survival Handbook. Kent Press has also published a sports book, Practice Like You Play, and a humor book, A Smart Man Wouldn’t Have Thought of That. It had previously published The Toy & Game Inventor’s Guide, A Primer on Licensing, Licensee Survival Guide, Guide to License Artwork, Trademarks for Entrepreneurs, and the Essentials of Technology and Patent Licensing. It is also a content provider to Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters for licensing and IP content, including The Law of Merchandise & Character Licensing, Licensing Royalty Rates, and License Agreements: Forms and Checklists.