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In this webinar, we would look back at the most defining moments of 2024 (lessons learned, the news that changed the industry, etc.) and make predictions for what will be defining moments for tech transfer and IP professionals in 2025.
Trade secrets can be an institution's most valuable and prolonged assets. However, maintaining trade secrets in academic institutions can be challenging because trade secret protection requires secrecy, while academic institutions generally advocate publication and open collaboration. Furthermore, determining whether trade secret protection is appropriate in academic institutions can be complex. This session will shed light on these challenges by covering the basics of trade secrets, guidelines for choosing between patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets to protect inventions derived from academic institutions, and steps that academic institutions must take to protect trade secrets.
The session will review the recent Amgen Supreme Court Decision, which found that Amgen's patent covering its cholesterol lowering drug Repatha invalid for lack of enablement. The claims of the patent are broadly directed to an antibody that binds certain epitopes on the PCSK9 enzyme. The session will involve analyzing the Supreme Court's rationale for lack of enablement and explore its impact on patenting strategies for life science discoveries more generally.
A practical journey through the landscape of generative AI-tools and how (and how not) to use them for technology transfer professionals. After a general introduction mentioning the advantages of using AI-tools, practical examples of AI-tools and prompts that might benefit your professional career will be given. The session will finish by creating awareness through naming the possible risks that comes with using AI-tools.
This series of five webinars was recorded in January-February, 2022. Access includes all five sessions. Topics include: Collaborative Research Agreements, Data Transfer Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Inter-Institutional Agreements and Confidential Disclosures
Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied in the medical field. From disease-specific diagnostics to patient-precise surgery and therapeutics, the AI architecture employs analytical software and patient-based training data. In this session, we'll discuss how universities, especially those affiliated with a medical school or research hospital, may be uniquely suited to license training data separately from analytical software. Collaborating universities and affiliates may pool their training data, resulting in a data collection that is in high demand by industry and new licensing opportunities.
This webinar will be recorded live on December 7, 2022. The recording will be available within 30 days of the event date. You may pre-order the recording here. In the webinar, the co-presenters will engage in a hypothetical dialogue between a university licensing officer and an outside patent attorney discussing an AI innovation that the university is considering for patenting. They will explore questions including: whether the innovation is patentable, how to frame the claims for maximum licensing value, whether to divide the claims into multiple applications, and how the claiming format supports identifying licensing partners. The discussion will focus on practical issues raised by AI which could otherwise easily be overlooked, in a format that is designed to emulate the day-to-day challenges that universities face when patenting and licensing innovations in AI.
This webinar will compare litigation before the International Trade Commission (ITC) to that in District Courts and will cover some of the strategies, tactical considerations and advantages with respect to litigation in the ITC. This webinar is ideal for university technology transfer associates, directors, counsel, and intellectual property (IP) practitioners at law firms who represents clients in licensing, IP and litigation matters.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is employed in everything from computer-generated imagery (CGI) to medical diagnoses to 3D printing. However, laws have not kept up with AI innovations. The patent laws of most countries (including the U.S.) define an "inventor" as a person, i.e., a human being. For example, what if a synthetic entity (AI) assists an inventor or author to invent or create - or what if the synthetic entity independently creates - a painting or literature, discovers a medical breakthrough, or produces a 3D article extrapolated from rudimentary data input? Isn’t the AI an inventor or author? Can the AI itself be protected by patents or copyright? How can AI be used as a supporting tool by inventors and patent attorneys? What are the ethical and professional responsibility implications of employing AI? This presentation will define AI and examine questions that will help suggest best practices for using AI and protecting AI-related intellectual property.
We are entering the third wave of the artificial intelligence (AI) evolution, which is disrupting and revolutionizing many industries. While some worry about the unchecked expansion of AI, others praise its potential to improve life. This panel will present the framework and terminology of AI and delve into some of its applications and impacts on technology transfer. Speakers from both university and industry will explore the challenges and applications in licensing practices, and describe non-traditional university-industry deals, while exploring applications, including healthcare indications and social media. Proposed solutions will be presented and speakers will address the background and current state of AI patent subject eligibility.
While technology transfer has profound impacts worldwide, communicating results can be a challenge and it would be naïve to assume there's no room for improvement. But how do we demonstrate how we are doing and identify where we can improve? This session will look at several different approaches being developed outside of the traditional long time lag metrics to enable offices to critically assess their performance and identify opportunities for improvement. If you're responsible for office leadership and performance improvement or reporting, this can't miss session is for you.
Many people in our profession are familiar with the US Supreme Court's Stanford v. Roche decision in 2011. Not everyone is familiar with the April 2018 revisions to the Bayh-Dole Act regarding the obligation for universities to require employees to assign invention rights to their university, or the divergence of approach on the format and timing of assignments in Europe. This session will provide an overview of assignment requirements in the United States and Europe, and provide suggestions for ensuring compliance in both jurisdictions.
This webinar provides an overview of the Bayh-Dole reporting requirements, focusing on the newly revised regulations, commonly referred to as "Bayh-Dole II." Participants receive guidance on the information and tools needed for the proper and timely reporting of inventions, patents, and utilization reports in iEdison and recommendations on how institutions can clear outstanding iEdison notifications.
Researchers know their technology better than anyone. This means they can be a technology transfer office's (TTO) greatest asset when pitching to prospective licensees and partners. Ironically, it also means they can be (shall we say) a bit of a liability in marketing interactions. This session will help TTOs give researchers the skills and insights they need to stay on the asset side of the technology marketing balance sheet. You will come away with helpful tools you can use immediately, including effective coaching techniques, how to prepare for specific licensing targets, and recommendations for training frequency and follow-up.
This webinar will be recorded live on June 1, 2023. The recording will be available within 30 days of the event date. You may pre-order the recording here. Some universities aid faculty with review and administration of consulting services they provide to industry while holding down their academic positions. What are the benefits of a university providing this service to its faculty? Why is this relatively common in the United Kingdom, but less common in the US? If your office is thinking of adding value and intrigued about adding this service, join us for this interactive webinar where you'll learn from the heads of Oxford and Cambridge's Consultancy Services as well as colleagues from the US who have set up a service at their institution.
Technology-based startups need a strong patent strategy that includes an analysis of competitive patents. But there is an inherent tension between the need for a competitive patent analysis and the startup’s limited financial resources. This webinar will focus on best practices for pursuing competitive patents, plus freedom to operate analyses that satisfy the obligations to avoid willful infringement, all while staying within the budget constraints of a startup. To understand the legal rules as they currently stand, we will discuss the 2016 Halo ruling on willful patent infringement. We will also examine this topic from the point of view of a university technology transfer office (TTO) as a licensor of patent applications. How far should the TTO go with its Freedom to Operate analysis, and what is the TTO’s obligation to the prospective licensee? Lastly, we will suggest best practices for startups and TTOs for Freedom to Operate analyses.
"Beyond Patents”: Trademarks as Strategic Assets in Higher Education" explores how colleges and universities can strategically leverage trademarks as powerful tools beyond legal protection. This session begins with a Trademarks 101 overview to ground participants in key concepts, followed by real-world examples of how academic institutions have successfully utilized trademarks to support branding, licensing, commercialization, and community engagement. Participants will also gain insights from lessons learned—including best practices and cautionary tales—to better understand the unique challenges and opportunities of managing trademark portfolios in an academic context. Whether your part of a technology transfer office, university administration, or legal counsel, this webinar will offer valuable guidance for integrating trademarks into your institution’s broader strategic goals.
Join us for AUTM’s webinar, Breaking Bad (Habits) – How to Discuss Commercialisation with Academics, where we explore strategies for effectively discussing topics and concepts in industry collaboration and IP commercialisation with academic colleagues. Our expert panel will address common constraints-both real and imagined-that academics face in commercialization, while offering insights on how to approach “difficult” conversations and persuade academic researchers to engage with technology transfer and commercialisation. Learn how to discuss IP complexities, translational activities, peer-to-peer discussions, and how to set the stage for spinout success. Gain practical tips on best practices for promoting key information and empowering academics to embrace commercialization opportunities.
Universities operate a variety of different technology transfer models between their tech transfer offices and incubators/accelerators and research departments. This webinar roundtable will cover the many ways tech transfer offices are structured within universities, and explore best practices for accelerating tech transfer and commercialization. Several experts will be on hand to lead discussions on the different structures of tech transfer offices and how they interact with their incubators and researchers, the advantages/disadvantages of these different structures, and accelerating commercialization at your university. We'll also discuss free intellectual property and business resource available to incubators, universities and the surrounding community.