self-exploitation definition
self-exploitation of IPRs means that the owner of IPRs can choose to implement the IPRs by themselves, and this has already been the case in many situations. Assignment is the transfer of ownership of the IPRs. As a legal consequence to an assignment, an assignee is authorized by the assignor to do with the IP as s/he sees fit. In contrast to a license where the licensor maintains an interest in the IP, once an IPRs owner has assigned the IPRs, s/he does not have any interest in the IPRs any longer or the obligation to retain the IPRs after receiving the remuneration. Another means by which IPRs are exploited is by licensing, which affords a party with authorization to do an act that would otherwise be forbidden. In contrast with assignment, no proprietary interest is distributed under a license. Licenses may take many forms, from a one-off permission to an exclusive license, which is an agreement under which the owner of the IPRs not only accords the licensee with permission to apply the IPRs, but also guarantees that s/he will not give any other licenses or utilize the technology themselves. This licensing process can also be equivalent to ‘ownership’ in some jurisdictions, such as the USA. The legal consequence of this is that an exclusive license confers rights upon the licensee to the exclusion of all others, including the licensor.73