What are Royalties?
In Revenue Ruling 81-178, 1981-2 C.B. regarding royalties, the Internal Revenue Service stated:
“To be a royalty, a payment must relate to the use of a valuable right. Payments for the use of trademarks, trade names, service marks, or copyrights, whether or not payment is based on the use made of such property, are ordinarily classified as royalties for federal tax purposes.”
Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights are Valuable
Patents, trademarks, and copyrights are valuable. Intellectual property portfolios of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights are assets of your company and can provide a stream of royalty income for your company.
26 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1.61-8 – Rents and Royalties
CFR 1.61-8, in part reads, “(a) In general. …Gross income includes royalties. Royalties may be received from books, stories, plays, copyrights, trademarks, formulas, patents, and from the exploitation of natural resources, such as coal, gas, oil, copper, or timber.
- License agreements of Patents, Trademark and Copyrights are contracts that include royalty payments to the owner of the intellectual property.
- License agreements can have long term benefits for both the licensor and the licensee.
- Royalty agreements can be difficult to negotiate and understand.
- It is wise for parties to license agreements to be represented by independent counsels.
Business Patent Law, PLLC does not practice taxation law. However, in view of US federal taxation laws, royalties are generally treated as passive ordinary income.
Under certain circumstances, transfers of Patent rights are treated as capital gains
26 Internal Review Code (IRC) 1235, in part, reads:
(a) General A transfer (other than by gift, inheritance, or devise) of property consisting of all substantial rights to a patent, or an undivided interest therein which includes a part of all such rights, by any holder shall be considered the sale or exchange of a capital asset held for more than 1 year, regardless of whether or not payments in consideration of such transfer are—
(1) payable periodically over a period generally coterminous with the transferee’s use of the patent, or
(2) contingent on the productivity, use, or disposition of the property transferred.
If you need legal assistance with your company’s license-royalty agreements or intellectual property matters, please contact Business Patent Law, PLLC.
Business Patent Law, PLLC provides intellectual property and business counsel for businesses and companies.
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