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License and Other Agreements
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
License And Other Agreements  
License and Other Agreements

(7) License and Other Agreements

 

The Company has entered into a number of license agreements covering various products using the Company’s SPD technology. Some of these license agreements are limited to specific countries and/or markets. Licensees of Research Frontiers who incorporate SPD technology into end products pay Research Frontiers an earned royalty of 10-15% of net sales of licensed products under license agreements currently in effect and may also be required to pay Research Frontiers fees and minimum annual royalties. Licensees who sell products or components to other licensees of Research Frontiers do not pay a royalty on such sale; Research Frontiers will collect such royalty from the licensee incorporating such products or components into its own end-products. Research Frontiers’ license agreements typically allow the licensee to terminate the license after some period of time and give Research Frontiers only limited rights to terminate before the license expires. Most licenses are non-exclusive and generally last as long as our patents remain in effect.

 

On March 14, 2019, the Company suspended its VariGuard SmartGlass business unit activities. Instead, the Company licensed a new entity to pursue the business opportunities previously pursued by the Company’s VariGuard SmartGlass business unit. This new licensee continues to use the VariGuard SmartGlass name. In addition to other employees at VariGuard SmartGlass Inc., one of the Company’s officers (Michael R. LaPointe) and one former officer (Seth L. Van Voorhees) are shareholders of VariGuard SmartGlass Inc. and, as consequence, this transaction is a related party relationship which has been reviewed and approved by the Company’s Board of Directors pursuant to the requirements of Delaware corporate law and the Company’s Code of Ethics. Mr. LaPointe also remains a full-time employee at the Company. In October 2021, the Company entered into an amendment to the license agreement with VariGuard modifying its scope and terms.