Licensing
Should I license by region or by industry?
The short answer
Both are standard practice, and geography genuinely changes your buyer: Asia Pacific leads the patent licensing market with about 36% revenue share while North America leads broader IP licensing at roughly 40%. Where your patent family is filed decides which levers you actually have.
The full picture
Industry (field-of-use) splitting works when your technology serves distinct markets with different champions. Regional splitting works when companies are geographically strong but not global — a dominant European manufacturer and a dominant Asian one can both be exclusive in their home turf without ever colliding.
The constraint is your patent family: you can only license rights where you actually have patents or applications. A US-only patent licenses US activity, period — no matter where the buyer is headquartered. If international licensing is the opportunity, filing strategy comes first, and the clock on those decisions is shorter than most owners realize.
Where does your patent stand?
The Beyond the Patent Commercialization Score answers that — a professional, factor-by-factor read on your patent's licensing, sale, build, and partner potential.
Related questions
General information for patent owners — not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.