Here are some cost saving tips when considering licensing or transferring your technology.

• Consult guidelines for technology royalty rates before negotiating with potential buyers/licensees. There are several published materials and sources that establish royalty guidelines for certain industries and products (e.g., "Licensing Royalty Rates" by Battersby and Grimes).

• Consider requiring periods of renegotiation under license arrangements to account for increases in the value of your technology. By limiting the initial scope of use and/or term of a license arrangement, an owner may be able to provide for set periods of renegotiation in the event the value of a particular technology changes.

• Consult federal, state and local agency web sites for regulations regarding sale and distribution of your technology and restrictions on commercializing your technology overseas.

• EU competition and U.S. antitrust rules: The owner should draft exclusivity and price terms very carefully to avoid any limitations on competition within the international market. In European Union countries, manufacturers will want to insure that their agreements fall within certain bloc exemptions for exclusive distributors.