The views and opinions set forth herein are the personal views or opinions of the author; they do not necessarily reflect views or opinions of the law firm with which he is associated.

Today, the cost of developing and commercializing new products is rising, and companies are increasingly forming alliances with the inventors or holders of intellectual property to supplement their product pipelines, reduce the costs associated with internal research and development, and obtain new products for sale. Setting up a new alliance can be a challenging task, requiring the negotiation of complex agreements that outline, among other things, how the risks of development and commercialization will be divided.