Dudley Smith

The prime mover behind the formation of the Licensing Executives Society

IP Hall of Fame inductee in 2006

Dudley Smith is widely recognised as a leader in the field of licensing intellectual property. He began his career as a patent examiner in the US Patent and Trademark Office and became a licensed patent attorney. He worked for several companies where he was very active in licensing their patents and trademarks. In the mid-1960s he became the prime mover behind the formation of the Licensing Executives Society (LES). Today, LES has over 6,000 members in North America and over 11,000 members worldwide. LES is the premier professional society for persons involved in intellectual property licensing. Smith was instrumental not only in the creation of LES, but also in its growth. He served as president of LES (USA and Canada), and later as president of LES International. In 1971 he was awarded the first LES gold medal for his contributions to the licensing profession.