Monster High has been the star license of the year, according to professionals who voted to choose the Licencias Actualidad Awards 2011, which recognize the outstanding work and results of businesses, professionals and properties in Spain and Portugal, including licensees, owners, agents and retailers.

Mattel has been the biggest winner of this ninth edition of the awards given by the Spanish licensing magazine. Besides being the license of year, Monster High has been chosen the best brand, while Mattel has won the owner of the year and the best brand licensee awards. Not surprisingly, after a year in which the license has boosted sales of dolls, saving the year for this category of toys in Spain, according to NPD.

SpongeBob SquarePants has won the award for best entertainment license, confirming its permanence in the market over the last year. Best licensee in this category was the Spanish toy maker Famosa.

In the sports category, F. C. Barcelona scored one more year as the best property, with Panini as best licensee. With this award, F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid are tied in recognitions as the best sports brand since the magazine Licencias Actualidad started these awards, with three of them for each team.

Karactermanía was chosen as best design and fashion licensee. This is the third consecutive year that the company wins this award. The property awarded in this segment was Kimmidoll, for its designs inspired by Japanese dolls and thanks to a licensing programme managed in Spain by El Ocho Licencias y Promociones.

The most voted licensed promotion was that of Nutrexpa with Phineas and Ferb. And in regard to distribution, El Corte Inglés took the prize for best licensed product retailer for the fifth time.

The winners were selected according to the votes of professionals in all activities related to licensing: agents and owners, licensees and distribution professionals, as well as media representatives.

License of the Year: Monster High
Agent or owner: Mattel, for Monster High

Entertainment or character
- Property: SpongeBob SquarePants
- Licensee: Famosa

Licensed Brand
- Property: Monster High
- Licensee: Mattel

Sports
- Property: F. C. Barcelona
- Licensee: Panini

Art and design
- Property: Kimidoll
- Licensee: Karactermanía

Licensed Promotion:
Nutrexpa with Phineas and Ferb

Retail:
El Corte Inglés

What is licensing?

Licensing consists in acquiring the rights to reproduce and use a legally protected brand. This trademark, known as property or license, may be a character, a brand, an image, a person or any other element that has intellectual property rights.

The rights to use of property are guaranteed through an agreement defining a specific purpose (usually the application of the license to a product or products for sale), confined to a geographical area for a period of time defined in exchange for paying a set amount. The owner is the owner of the brand (such Mattel) and the licensee would be the manufacturer of this product under license (Karactermanía backpacks manufactured under license from Monster High, for example). In some cases, the owner may delegate the representation of the mark in a licensing agent (El Ocho, in the case of Kimmidoll).

Licensing is a marketing strategy of product and service that promotes sales and helps to differentiate a product / service and even helps in many cases to position the licensees who work with these brands.

The licensing business in Spain is in an excellent situation and development potential. This business is and will be even more a key tool in marketing products and services of many companies. There are multiple industries and categories where licensing is important and still has a long way still to go, such as the field of advertising.