Grenoble, France, Nov. 30, 2016 –
This latest release adds support for standardized Third Party IP usage and finance reporting.
Why Standardize IP Usage and Finance Reporting?
Today's electronic system design companies license and integrate a large number of IPs and SoCs from a diversified set of suppliers. Legal restrictions, business terms (fees, royalties, etc.) vary widely from one business negotiation to the next.
It becomes a major challenge for the procurement manager to follow the details of each deal, compute the payment due based on product shipment volume, and trigger the appropriate payment amount. Data from various corporate departments are required to create a centralized report. In addition, because M&A activity among IP provider companies is accelerating worldwide, it makes it imperative to promote a well-defined, standardized business process that can simply be followed "as-is" by new players.
On their side, IP providers may lack visibility into which product or products within which their IP has been used, what the product shipment volume is, and so forth. In addition, if a vertical business consolidation occurs, the licensee itself could be acquired, and the IP provider needs to know whether the original legal restrictions and business clauses will continue to be respected by the "new" licensee.
To avoid any questions which could lead to cumbersome audit procedures, the D&R IPMS "IP Procurement Manager" module not only provides an efficient management infrastructure for the procurement manager, but also presents a standardized solution for tracking and accurately reporting IP usage. This "codified solution" can ultimately be shared between the Licensor and the Licensee as a "legal document".
How can this be done?
The first step to standardizing the reporting process is to create a Third Party IP ("3PIP") list easily configurable and exportable using the renown IPMS IP Web Publisher. The IP Web Publisher lets you store detailed information on each IP contract, including information on related business agreements, and legal data and restrictions. It also provides Fee, Royalty, and Payment schedule templates that enable you to report on the clauses in each contract in a consistent manner.
Connected to such a list IP Procurement Manager offers 3 advanced reporting features:
The ultimate Goal: Keeping Licensor and Licensee in sync
As a global benefit, you can Secure your relationship with your Licensors by generating Automated IP Usage reports for them:
D&R guarantees it will supply any new library or software extensions required to support new "business functions" including new "royalty templates". It should be noted that in compliance with confidentiality restrictions, the procurement manager can himself add new payment or royalty calculation functions into the platform using Python, without interfering with infrastructure software updates.
As an additional benefit for major accounts, D&R offers services where it will help centralize all of a company's 3PIP licensing business practices and demonstrate the IPMS platform's ability to support those practices.
The new release of the IP Procurement Manager is available now. Interested customers should contact us.