Krystel Ametepeh is an IP Innovation Clinic Fellow and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As part of the IP Innovation Clinic’s involvement in the inaugural year of Mitacs’ Business Strategy Internship program, Krystel completed an internship at 3D Bridge Solutions under the direct supervision of Karima Bawa. As Principal Investigator, Prof. Pina D’Agostino secured three $10,000 grants from Mitacs, one of which was used to fund this internship. 

As part of the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program, I had the opportunity to complete a 16-week placement with a medical technology company called 3D Bridge Solutions. 3D Bridge Solutions provides a digital medication platform and dispenser to aid with medication adherence. The company’s solution helps mitigate the challenges associated with senior care, which were made evident by the COVID-19 pandemic, by safely and securely dispensing patients’ medication according to a set dosing schedule.  As part of this placement, I had the opportunity to work closely with various members of the team on a variety of projects. Notably, I had the opportunity to draft user manuals for the company’s product offering, as well as a privacy policy.

Work Responsibilities

Drafting the user manuals was both a challenging and exciting task. Prior to beginning the drafting process, I had to develop a strong understanding of how the company’s product worked to enable me to produce a work product that was beneficial to users. I worked closely with the Chief Technology Officer who provided me with much needed guidance on how the product operated. I also had the opportunity to experiment with the system to gain further insights into the user experience. Equipped with this knowledge, I began writing the user manuals. However, the product was going through further developments when I began working on this project. Thus, at various points during the drafting process, I had to learn about new functionalities as they were added to the product offering and determine how best to incorporate these features into the manuals. It was exciting to learn about these new developments as they arose, and to learn about the reasoning behind creating them. While the process of writing the user manuals initially seemed daunting, I was provided with meaningful feedback and guidance by various members of the team throughout the process, which eased the writing process. Working on this project enabled me to further develop my writing skills, as well as my ability to convey technical content in a comprehensible manner.

I also had the opportunity to draft a privacy policy for the company’s website. Similar to the user manuals, this was my first experience handling a task of this nature. Thus, I had to conduct research on the requirements under Canadian privacy legislation, and on best practices for our industry. I also relied on various resources and insights my supervisor shared with me throughout the drafting process. A challenging part of this task was in trying to balance the need to create a comprehensible policy, with the need to create one that covered all the necessary grounds. I was provided with the opportunity to have a discussion with a privacy lawyer who was able to provide assistance on how to navigate this challenge. Moreover, my supervisor provided me with invaluable assistance and feedback throughout the process. Completing this project was one of the highlights of the time I spent working with 3D Bridge Solutions. This project enabled me to further explore my interest in privacy law and learn more about Canadian privacy law, all while gaining practical experience through drafting a privacy policy.

Conclusion

Overall, working with 3D Bridge Solutions served as an incredible learning experience. It provided me with the opportunity to further develop my writing and research skills through challenging and engaging work responsibilities. I also had the benefit of learning so much from the 3D Bridge Solutions team, who have vast amounts of knowledge and experience, through their guidance and support.

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Mitacs designed the BSI program for students to find employment this summer and to help participating partner organizations to restore or modify their business operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first year that Mitacs will run this program. Our students will be able to further their legal knowledge beyond the classroom through practical work on real world projects.

Here is some more information about each project:

3D Bridge Patenting and Commercialization Research

has developed a secure digital medication platform through which health practitioners and other authorized care providers can connect with patients remotely. The device will help to ensure that the medication is properly administered to patients, specifically the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and those who take addictive or high-cost medication. Krystel Ametepeh, 1L student and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, will work under the supervision of Karima Bawa, CEO and in-house lawyer of 3D Bridge, to provide legal research services in intellectual property, health and privacy law and to address the legal requirements associated with commercialization amidst this product’s pre-commercial rollout.

Innovative Educational and Marketing Tools for Prospective IP Rights Owners (Bereskin & Parr)

(B&P) has struggled to market their services and educate clients without their usual in-person events. With funding from Mitacs, B&P will hire Bonnie Hassanzadeh, 2L student and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, to create educational and marketing tools for various purposes, including training for new staff and educating prospective and existing clients. Under the supervision of B&P Partner Reshika Dhir, Bonnie will also research marketing strategies about tailoring these materials to various clientele and determine the most effective media to convey the relevant information. Some of these materials will be available for use by our IP Innovation Clinic.

Interaxon Scaling Project

is a Toronto-based company that helps customers to build rewarding meditation and sleep practices to lead healthier and happier lives. As the COVID-19 pandemic has increased their need to address mental health concerns, Interaxon is looking to increase the commercialization of its products and services. The funding will allow Androu Waheeb, 1L student and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, to work alongside Naseem Bawa, General Counsel at Interaxon, in developing licensing arrangements for the company’s relevant IP and seeking FDA approval to make Interaxon’s devices more accessible to users.

We are very grateful to Mitacs for approving IP Osgoode's proposals in this inaugural year of their Business Strategy Internship program. We would also like to thank our supervisors at 3D Bridge, Bereskin & Parr, and Interaxon for working hard on such short notice to make space for our students and put our proposals together. We look forward to seeing how our students grow and what they accomplish with our partner organizations.

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