Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Intellectual Property Transfer Pricing and Taxation

By Nir Kossovsky and Robert Block
May 02, 2005

Multinational companies with distributed operations and geographic centers of specialized activities tend to transfer intangibles including intellectual property assets among their various affiliates. These transfers between entities are priced at levels that approximate fair market value and are simultaneously consistent with every company's duty to maximize shareholder value. Tax authorities have long complained that multinationals are setting international transfer prices to avoid taxes by lowering income in high tax jurisdictions and raising income in low tax jurisdictions. In theory, a multinational should not suffer prejudice in such a case (beyond the payment of appropriate penalties) because international tax treaties contemplate adjustments; the underpayment would be collected and the overpayment refunded in each respective jurisdiction. As a practical matter however, there is a real risk of double taxation since sovereign tax authorities may come to disagree on transfer pricing levels.

Sensitized by recent high-profile tax disputes, multinational companies are now specifically seeking strategies to minimize transfer pricing conflicts with the Internal Revenue Service and other international taxing bodies. This article introduces one practical solution.

IP Transfer, Pricing and Conflict

Read These Next
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.

Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York Image

In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?

The Benefits of Blockchain for e-Discovery and Data Preservation Image

As businesses across various industries increasingly adopt blockchain, it will become a critical source of discoverable electronically stored information. The potential benefits of blockchain for e-discovery and data preservation are substantial, making it an area of growing interest and importance.