IP Innovation Clinic Fellows (3-5 positions)

It is expected that the majority of the work done by students will relate to patent and/or trademark law. The remaining time would be spent working on other IP-related and start-up business related needs as they arise. The students’ work will be supervised by lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Bereskin & Parr LLP, and OWN Innovation and may include:

• Reviewing business transactions involving IP
• Assisting with various steps in the patent prosecution process (i.e.: conducting prior art searches, reviewing patent specifications, etc.)
• Performing freedom-to-operate and clearance searches
• Performing trademark searches
• Reviewing IP Agreements and licensing assistance
• Conducting legal research

Term: September 2022 – April 2023, with a possibility to continue on for the 2023 summer term.

Note: Please note the position is a part-time volunteer position. Students may claim OPIR hours for work done at the IP Innovation Clinic.

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• an interest in IP law, technology and commercialization issues
• responsiveness and a commitment to client service
• attention to detail and ability to write clearly and concisely
• excellent time-management, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• you must be a 1L, 2L, 3L, or LL.M student at Osgoode Hall Law School
• completion of the Legal Values: IP Commercialization Seminar course is not required but would be considered an asset
• completion of the Intellectual Property or Patents course is not required but would be considered an asset

Application Process:

�ٱ𲹻�����Ա�:��Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Please provide the following materials via email to��ipinnovationclinic@osgoode.yorku.ca:

• One-page cover letter (briefly outlining your interests in IP law)
• Copy of your resume and unofficial grades
• A sample of your written work (max. 750 words)

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The post CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: IP Innovation Clinic Fellows (2022/23 Academic Year) appeared first on IPOsgoode.

Ashley Moniz is the Managing Editor of the IPilogue and the Assistant Director of IP Osgoode.

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On October 15, 2008, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, IP Osgoode was officially launched. Known as Osgoode Hall Law School’s Intellectual Property Law and Technology Program, Prof. Pina D’Agostino set out to create a program that would lead IP law discourse, foster a vibrant community whose members are welcome to share broad perspectives, and diversify the IP innovation ecosystem. Now, 13 years later, IP Osgoode and the IP Innovation Clinic are still forging new paths and relationships in the IP community.

Here are a few noteworthy accomplishments from the past year:

IP Osgoode

• Runners-Up at the Oxford IP Moot: in March 2021, for the first time. Under Prof. D’Agostino and Prof. David Vaver’s academic supervision and expert coaching from lawyers at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Deeth Williams Wall LLP, our team placed second after an incredible showing and very close competition, winning the Kirkland & Ellis Runner-Up Prize for Oral Proceedings in the process.
• Leading Legal Disruption Published: in May 2021, . The book, titled Leading Legal Disruption: Artificial Intelligence and a Toolkit for Lawyers and the Law, was co-edited by Dr. Aviv Gaon of IDC Herzliya and Carole Piovesan of INQ Law.
• Two Bracing for Impact Webinars: IP Osgoode collaborated with the Harry Radzyner Law School at the IDC Herzliya and Microsoft Canada to present two new webinars in our Bracing for Impact Event Series: “” in and “” in , the latter being also in collaboration with Alectra’s GRE&T Centre. The webinars featured speakers from around the world and drew in almost 250 spectators between them.
• First Virtual Trademark Hearing: thanks to the Honourable Justice Michael Manson of the Federal Court of Canada, over 70 Osgoode students and faculty members virtually attended the .
• IPilogue’s Return to Daily Publishing: under a new structure, the has returned to publishing daily blog articles written by our dedicated team of IPilogue Writers. Almost 270 articles have been published over the past year alone, more than 120 more than the previous year. We continue to receive and publish guest submissions from students, academics, lawyers, and members of our as well.

IP Innovation Clinic

• IP Innovation ChatBot Launched: The IP Innovation Clinic officially launched its through a . Developed with assistance and support from Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, CIPO, and ISED Canada, the AI-backed ChatBot provides accurate and reliable IP law information for free on our website. Thanks to further funding from ISED through the National IP Strategy, we look forward to continuing to expand the breadth of the ChatBot’s impact and better reach and assist members of underrepresented communities in the IP Innovation ecosystem.
• Mitacs-funded Business Strategy Internships: in March 2021, . The IP Innovation Clinic placed 3 Clinic Fellows with businesses pivoting their operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. D’Agostino was also featured in the marking the official launch of the program.
• Clinic Clients Secured Millions in Funding: two IP Innovation Clinic clients leveraged IP information from our Clinic Fellows to massive expansions of their business. to develop their drone technology and for their sustainable clothing brand.
• First LPP Candidate: during the Winter 2021 Term, under the supervision of IP Osgoode alumnus Reshika Dhir of Bereskin & Parr LLP, the IP Innovation Clinic . We look forward to welcoming two new LPP candidates in Winter 2022.
• The IP Lunch Club Continues: for the second year in a row, and in collaboration with the City of Barrie Sandbox Centre, Prof. D’Agostino’s Directed Reading: IP Innovation Program students presented , educating local entrepreneurs and innovators about registering and commercializing IP rights. Many attendees from these webinars go on to engage the IP Innovation Clinic for IP and commercialization assistance.

As always, we are grateful to all of the students, faculty, partners, and our Advisory Board for making this past year as great a success as it was. None of the above accomplishments would have happened if not for their passion, dedication, and hard work. As we welcome new students and continue to seek out more involvement, we look forward to another wonderful year and welcome new students and partnerships who can help us grow to even greater heights.

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The IP Innovation Clinic, the first student-based clinic of its kind in Canada, is seeking law students from Osgoode Hall Law School to provide assistance to under-resourced inventors, entrepreneurs and start-up companies with their innovation and commercialization activities.

IP Innovation Clinic Fellows (5-8 positions)

It is expected that the majority of the work done by students will relate to patent law.�� The remaining time would be spent working on other IP-related and start-up business related needs as they arise.�� The students’ work will be supervised by lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Bereskin & Parr LLP, and OWN Innovation and may include:

• Reviewing business transactions involving IP
• Assisting with various steps in the patent prosecution process (i.e.: conducting prior art searches, reviewing patent specifications, etc.)
• Performing freedom-to-operate and clearance searches
• Performing trademark searches
• Reviewing IP Agreements and licensing assistance
• Conducting legal research

Term:�� September 2021 – April 2022, with a possibility to continue on for the 2022 summer term.

Note:�� Please note the position is a part-time volunteer position. ��Students may claim OPIR hours for work done at the IP Innovation Clinic.

���ϳܲ������ھ������پ��DzԲ�:

• an interest in IP law, technology and commercialization issues
• responsiveness and a commitment to client service
• attention to detail and ability to write clearly and concisely
• excellent time-management, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• you must be a 1L, 2L or 3L student at Osgoode Hall Law School
• completion of the Legal Values: IP Commercialization Seminar course is not required but would be considered an asset
• completion of the Intellectual Property or Patents course is not required but would be considered an asset

Application Process:

Deadline: Friday, September 3, 2021

Please provide the following materials via email to iposgoode@osgoode.yorku.ca:

• One page cover letter (briefly outlining your interests in IP law)
• Copy of your resume and unofficial grades
• A sample of your written work (max. 750 words)

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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On April 26, 2021, the theme of World IP Day 2021 is “”. Since I founded the IP Innovation Clinic in 2010, the Clinic has helped countless innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to do exactly that. Our students have provided basic legal information to clients who otherwise would not have any access to it. To date, the Clinic has subsidized over $2,000,000CDN of legal fees that would otherwise have been paid by those without access to resources. This past year, the Clinic has expanded its impact through the recently launched , a free legal chatbot which uses a vast database of credible IP information to answer users’ initial IP questions and guide them to the type of legal help they need. This is only the beginning of the ChatBot’s story.

In a critical time of Covid-19 isolation, I aim to ensure that the IP Innovation ChatBot’s content is accessible and attuned to the unique realities of underrepresented communities in Canada’s intellectual property (IP) innovation ecosystem; namely, women and indigenous peoples. Having assisted clients in these underrepresented groups in the IP Innovation Clinic, and through my own research and writing in this area, I have seen first-hand the distinct struggles these groups confront in the traditional IP innovation ecosystem and the distinct challenges they face to bring their innovations to society; from being silenced in their ideation phase to lacking adequate resources and know-how to develop IP strategies attuned to their unique needs and perspectives.

This AI-powered initiative has been launched thanks to the Canadian government’s , and supports its mandate to increase IP awareness and education by making IP information more accessible. These learnings can easily be applied to other areas of the law.

The ChatBot has been realized due to visionary IP Innovation Clinic champions backing our work, Innovation 91��ɫ at 91��ɫ, Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) at the very outset and Bergeron Entrepreneurs Science and Technology (BEST) Program at Lassonde School of Engineering and Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) Canada LLP. Indeed, the technical and legal expertise of Partner, Maya Medeiros, and Al Hounsell at NRF, and our Osgoode JD team of students led by Ryan Wong, class of 2021. It is also an honour to work closely with other leaders in the federal government such as the Konstantinos Georgaras, CEO (Interim) at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and Jennifer Miller, Erin Campbell and their teams at Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), who understand and work hard to overcome the challenges Canadian innovators face.

I previously uncovered the various challenges that underrepresented communities face in the IP innovation system and how grassroots initiatives, such as IP legal clinics, can assist in and in more recent work to use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to build an IP Innovation ChatBot to make IP law more accessible. Going forward, I plan to expand on this foundational and empirical work to build the IP Innovation Clinic and the ChatBot to make the IP innovation ecosystem more accessible.

Ultimately, in an era of increasing technological disruption and lingering societal inequality and pandemic isolation, I hope to influence future legal education and make our justice system accessible to all Canadians.

Indeed, AI applications, including legal chatbots, use machine learning to make the law more understandable, manageable, useful, accessible, predictable, and efficient. Legal chatbots increase access to justice through their wider reach and lower costs. Many underrepresented communities receive either inadequate or no legal help at all. Technology currently cannot provide complex legal advice, but AI-powered online legal services can cost-effectively deliver accessible, basic legal help. Some, like our IP Innovation ChatBot, do so for free. Chatbots can thus democratize access to basic legal services for the underserved, and therefore deserve greater study and adoption.

Since its January 29, 2021 launch, the IP Innovation ChatBot has been a magnet for public use. Several members of the legal community have already inquired to learn how to emulate it. With the information from these analyses, I plan to design and build an enhanced, interactive, dynamic, and accessible portal powered by next-generation artificial intelligence operating on big data curated by our pioneering IP Innovation ChatBot.

The ChatBot will remain a free, sophisticated, and smart online tool, driven by AI and designed to cater to underrepresented and disenfranchised innovators. It will soon house key IP resources and information, leading updates, and links to Canadian and international government IP resources. The ChatBot’s scaled-up national platform will analyse its amassed archive of data and identify common IP knowledge translation problems to devise and anticipate solutions. Adapted for the COVID-19 era and beyond, the ChatBot will support the next generation of lawyers, educate and stimulate innovation from underrepresented communities, provide start-up entrepreneurs with access to IP resources, and be the public’s go-to tool for independent and impartial IP knowledge.

Prof Pina D’Agostino is Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and Founder and Director of IP Osgoode, the IPilogue, the IP Innovation Clinic, and officially since January 2021 the recently launched IP Innovation Clinic ChatBot.

The post Celebrating World IP Day: What comes next for the IP Innovation ChatBot? appeared first on IPOsgoode.

Positions Available: Innovation Clinic Fellows (2-3 positions).

Students will mostly assist clients with patent or trademark law matters. Their remaining time will be spent working��on other IP and start-up business related needs as they arise. Tasks may include:

• Patent prior art searches;
• Trade-mark searches;
• Other tasks as assigned and supervised by the supervising lawyer.

Term: Summer 2021 with the possibility of extension for the school year of 2021/2022.

Commitment: This is a part-time, OPIR qualifying, volunteer position. Fellows are expected to��provide approximately 2-3 hours a week with opportunity expand.

Training: While a general understanding of intellectual property law is helpful, interest is more critical.

Qualifications:

• Fellows must be Osgoode Hall Law School students.
• An interest in IP law, technology and commercialization law.
• Responsiveness and a commitment to client service.
• Attention to detail and ability to write clearly and concisely.
• Excellent time-management, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

Application Process:

Deadline: Monday, March 22, 2021 at 8 am

Please provide the following materials via email (subject: Application: IP Innovation Clinic Fellow) to iposgoode@osgoode.yorku.ca:

• One page cover letter. Please outline your interests in IP law in addition to other areas of interest. For reference, see current fellow bios.
• A copy of your résumé.
• Unofficial grades, if available

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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With Canadians' mounting frustration��and the dwindling prospects of exiting��this pandemic any time soon, it is vital that we unite as a nation to innovate. How Canada continues to respond to the pandemic will also define how we respond to future global challenges. Leading the development of new vaccines, more effective personal protective equipment, and new and improved systems��of distribution and administration of the vaccine are just some instances of what is necessary now. This pandemic has highlighted our societal inequalities and our fractured innovative landscape.

The university, one of Canada’s cradles of innovation, must continue to innovate out of this crisis and future crises. With innovation more critical than ever, how do we increase collaboration, coordination, and access to salient data and information during prolonged isolation?

Intellectual property (IP) is a powerful legal tool to foster innovation. It merits a context-specific approach on when, and whether, to protect assets from the inventor/ startup stage to the scale-up phase. However, COVID-19 has amplified the challenges faced by our brightest researchers and innovators. They are unable to access laboratories, have limited access to funds to start up a company, lack the know-how and support, and do not know where to go to obtain the needed help to protect their inventions. Under these conditions, IP can go undetected until it is too late. Patents, trademarks, and copyrights protecting valuable work are not well understood, and often never see the light of day. Finally, when IP is detected and advised to be protected, the innovation costs are prohibitive, starting with the patent pro- cess costing upwards of $20,000 to protect a single patent.

It is no wonder then how Canada, a country with so much talent and potential, is still playing catch up to other countries’ patent filings and, importantly, commercialization successes in the form of licensing deals, startups, and scale-ups from their own valuable IP.

As a response, closer partnerships between universities and industries��are becoming commonplace. Take as��an example the University of Oxford��and AstraZeneca trailblazing partnership to tackle the global pandemic with a COVID-19 vaccine. While these university-industry partnerships can help, they also risk a power imbalance between Canadian universities and multinational companies. There is no guarantee that Canadian jobs will be generated and retained in Canada, even though they may be founded on Canadian science and innovation.

Another promising mechanism is the use of university commercialization clinics such as the IP Innovation Clinic at 91��ɫ’s Osgoode Hall Law School. The clinic is the first of its kind, where law firms supervise law students who work directly with clients to formulate an IP strategy. This initiative accounts for more than 6,000 hours of pro-bono work, saving innovators close to $2-million to date during a nascent stage where resources are scarce.

One of the clinic’s success stories is Skygauge Robotics, a drone robotics company that landed a $3.3-million funding deal, and did so during a pandemic through the clinic’s support. Skygauge’s ambition is to build a company that keeps people innovating and working in Canada — a perfect example of how providing a friendly and supportive innovation ecosystem can be a game-changer to Canada’s innovation economy.

Seeing the need to continue innovating, especially during the pandemic, the IP Innovation Clinic, seized on the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI). Enter Isaac Pewton, the IP Innovation ChatBot that��can now answer any number of intellectual property questions. Powered by AI, the ChatBot learns and becomes smarter the more questions are asked of it. The goal is to balance the informational asymmetry in the innovation ecosystem and make valuable IP knowledge accessible to everyone for free.

This ChatBot is more important than ever to underrepresented communities, including women and Indigenous peoples who have typically not fared well in our in- novation ecosystem, and whose conditions are exacerbated from the pandemic. The ChatBot empowers these disenfranchised and remote communities with valuable information and direct access to the clinic for further services for free.

The ChatBot itself is an innovative example of a successful university-government-private partnership. Funded by Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada’s IP Clinics Program, pursuant to the federal government’s National IP Strategy and developed by a team of lawyers and technical experts at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, and Osgoode Hall Law School, the AI-powered ChatBot, by providing highly valuable IP information, can help Canadian entrepreneurs scale and learn quickly to innovate us out of this crisis and help future proof Canada against the next one.

Prof Giuseppina D’Agostino is a senior fellow with CIGI’s International Law Research Program (ILRP), effective November 2016. She is��the Founder & Director of IP Osgoode, the IP Intensive Program, and the Innovation Clinic, the Editor-in-Chief for the IPilogue and the Intellectual Property Journal, and an Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.

The post Asking ‘Isaac Pewton’ to Innovate Out of a Crisis appeared first on IPOsgoode.

Maya Medeiros

Q1 Do you believe that it is important to have more women involved in the IP system?

I believe that diversity (including gender diversity) in business generally is important as it provides a range of perspectives for better decision making and problem solving to increase performance. This extends to the IP system, which includes IP professionals such as lawyers and agents, as well as innovators or IP creators. IP, and particularly patents, can be looked at through a “problem and solution” lens and a diverse set of players should highlight a wider range of problems, “eureka moments”, and innovative solutions.

Q2 Have you noticed a gender gap in your industry? Is the situation changing?

There is a gender gap in the legal industry and technology industry so the intersection of these industries further widens the gap. I am lucky to be part of a diverse team at my firm but I know this is not the norm. We are starting to see more data which creates awareness so hopefully this will lead to solutions.

Q3 Do you think it is more difficult for female innovators and entrepreneurs to secure funding (and, therefore, be able to afford IP costs)?

indicates that women-led ventures secure a lot less funding which suggests it is more difficult for female innovators and entrepreneurs to secure funding. A business network often leads to funding opportunities (or at least introductions) and if most of the network is made up of men it is likely harder for women to establish themselves within the network.

I am involved in (with their Radical Generosity funding model) as an activator and part of a global community of women that exclusively fund women-led ventures and provide business support. and join the community.

If a female innovator is solving a problem that targets female demographic it may be harder for male investors to understand the market and the value of the solution. also shows that the investor/financial industry is also predominantly male ().

Q4 Are there unique challenges that female inventors and entrepreneurs face?

The challenge of securing funding discussed above is significant if the inventor or entrepreneur cannot bootstrap their venture. There is also the significant problem of unconscious bias and the unfair results it can lead to particularly in industries where females are not well represented. suggests a lack of females in leadership positions which leads to a smaller pool of female mentors. In my personal experience, female mentorship has been very important for navigating issues in the professional world (and personal world).

Q5 How can the innovation and IP ecosystems become more inclusive for under-represented groups, such as female entrepreneurs?

Both men and women in leadership roles should take active steps to provide assistance to female entrepreneurs, such as informal strategy discussions, feedback on business plans, and mentorship generally.

Q6 What types of assistance will benefit female entrepreneurs?

An increase in funding opportunities can address the lack of funding noted above. Mentorship and business networks targeting female entrepreneurs can also provide support for their business. Sponsorship programs can be established and linked to funding models. A sponsor may be rewarded if a female entrepreneur meets significant milestones with their support, for example. Increased flexibility in the workplace can help both women and men, particularly when they are also caregivers or have other significant family roles.

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The Norton Rose AI summit, which was held in conjunction with the University of Toronto’s Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab (DCSIL) , representatives from the legal profession, business and academic communities, and government representatives for a full-day discussion about the current and future state of AI from business, ethical, and legal perspectives.

, Partner, Head of Technology and Innovation Canada, Norton Rose Fulbright, and , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright, helped steer the day’s discussions to fundamental concerns, including the importance of developing and deploying AI with rights and values, transparency, and accountability in mind. These and other topics are explored further on Norton Rose Fulbright’s .

The ongoing and future developments of AI technologies have the potential to recast established modes of practice and institutions. As was the case with previous technological shifts, these changes will not occur in isolation and will develop in tandem with socio-cultural, political, and economic forces that both constrain and are shaped by broadly adopted technologies and practices. As Prof. Giuseppina D’Agostino, Founder and Director of IP Osgoode pointed out during the summit’s Fireside Chat, we must evaluate technological change in the context of history and recognize how such developments often benefit some stakeholders at the expense of others.

At the AI summit, discussants stated the necessity to create an ethical framework for the creation and deployment of AI at the levels of individual firms, society, and governments. These must recognize the ethical consequences new technologies may bring to bare. Such frameworks will need to mitigate safety, welfare, labour, and market concerns while providing room for beneficial creativity and innovation to occur.

In particular, discussants at the AI summit spoke about how existing biases and data management technologies can unknowingly socio-economic and racial exclusions. As well, the potential for AI-based technologies to must be accounted for, with the goal that these advances will augment and not automate the existing labour force. For the legal profession, this will mean using LegalTech in ways that support the work of professionals by automating routine tasks so that clients are better able to access detailed, personalized, and cost-effective services going forward.

With an eye to the future, companies, such as Microsoft, and governing institutions, including the European Union (EU), are laying out principles and creating regulations to address some of the incursions increased AI adoption may bring. In a published by Slate, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella presented six values that need to be considered: 1. AI must be designed to assist humanity, 2. AI must be transparent, 3. AI must maximize efficiencies without destroying the dignity of people, 4. AI must be designed for intelligent privacy, 5. AI must have algorithmic accountability so that humans can undo unintended harm, and 6. AI must guard against bias. Meanwhile, the EU’s , which will come into force on May 25, 2018, will impact the data collection and management practices driving AI by foregrounding privacy concerns and data subject rights.

Here in Canada, various levels of government are promoting the promise of AI to contribute to both society and the economy. Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto-Waterloo are home to burgeoning AI ecosystems, which are attracting international attention and investment. Protecting, commercializing, and capitalizing upon the IP and other intangible assets will be important for leveraging Canada’s AI capacity for social betterment and economic growth.

To inform the Government of Canada’s , on February 2nd, 2018, IP Osgoode along with its partners, will host a full day conference entitled, . The conference, organized in collaboration with Osgoode PhD students Aviv Gaon and Ian Stedman, will be preceded by an invitation only round table discussion to set the stage for shaping AI policy in Canada.

The conference and round table will engage key figures in the federal and provincial governments, senior scholars from Canada, US, EU, Australia and Israel, and industry leaders. These events will in part build on the questions raised at Norton Rose Fulbright’s AI summit 2017 and assemble an internationally renowned group of AI researchers, legal scholars, practitioners, and industry experts along with provincial and federal government representatives. Bracing for Impact will focus on the legal, cybersecurity, and ethical considerations of AI innovation.

As the development of AI, machine learning, and deep learning technologies continues apace, the onus will be for the legal, public policy, and industry communities to learn from the unintended consequences of previous technological shifts and proactively create an inclusive governance roadmap for AI governance. IP Osgoode looks forward to being part of these efforts and to seeing you at our conference. Registration for the conference is now open, click to register.

Editor’s Note: Mr. de Fazekas and Ms. Medeiros collaborate with IP Osgoode as part of our .

Giuseppina D’Agostino is the Founder & Director of IP Osgoode, the IP Intensive Program, and the Innovation Clinic, the Editor-in-Chief for the IPilogue and the Intellectual Property Journal, and an Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Joseph F. Turcotte is a Senior Editor with the IPilogue and the����Coordinator. He��holds a PhD from the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture (Politics & Policy) at 91��ɫ and Ryerson University (Toronto, Canada) and can be reached��.

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An official event of the , the 2017 Accessibility Innovation Showcase is organized by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science and Ministry of Economic Development and Growth and will highlight promising accessibility technologies and assistive devices to investors, local and international dignitaries, government representatives, and the general public.

and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP staff, including Founding Director Professor Giuseppina D’Agostino, IP Osgoode Assistant Director Michelle Li, and Innovation Clinic supervising lawyer, Maya Medeiros, Partner, Lawyer, Patent Agent, Trade-mark Agent at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, along with members of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada’s IP Group, will supervise the Clinic’s student fellows as they provide IP information to the Showcase’s exhibitors who are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Founded in 2010 by D’Agostino, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic was the first Canadian IP law clinic of its kind and provides experiential learning experiences for Osgoode Hall Law School students in the areas of IP and technology law. In collaboration with and the at the – an independent, non-partisan international governance think tank based in Waterloo, Ontario – the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic fellows provide pro bono one-to-one IP law information and support to inventors, entrepreneurs, and start-up companies in Toronto, 91��ɫ Region, Waterloo Region, and beyond.

“The IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is designed to help under-resourced and up-and-coming inventors and entrepreneurs navigate the world of IP law, identify freedom to operate concerns, and develop commercialization strategies as they bring their inventions to the public,” says D’Agostino. “The Clinic Staff and our Fellows are excited to participate in the Accessibility Innovation Showcase and support these impressive companies that are helping to improve the quality of life for many.”

Now in its third year, the Accessibility Innovation Showcase provides an opportunity for Ontario-based companies and entrepreneurs to demonstrate innovations and advances in accessibility technologies, and increase awareness for this emerging sector. This high profile event brings together top innovators, investors, government representatives and the general public. For 2017, the showcase will take place alongside the Invictus Games being held in Toronto and has been granted official Games event status, further increasing its visibility. The showcase will include 48 interactive exhibits highlighting innovative assistive technologies and devices. In addition, there will be an accessibility themed speaker series, along with entertainers and performers.

“We’re very pleased to have representatives from the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic, based at Osgoode Hall Law School, participate in our Ask the Expert sessions as part of the Accessibility Innovation Showcase”, says Dr. Morris (Mickey) Milner, Chair, Accessibility Innovation Showcase Advisory Committee. “Our exhibitors will clearly benefit from this opportunity to access legal expertise around some of the complex issues their companies face, whether they’re starting up or scaling up.”

The training and support provided by Norton Rose Fulbright LLP helps train Ontario’s next generation of IP practitioners and entrepreneurs. “We are excited to participate in the Accessibility Innovation Showcase and provide strategic IP information to Ontario-based innovators developing technology to improve people’s lives,” says Medeiros. “In the Information Age, navigating IP issues is increasingly important and complex. We enjoy working with the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic to help the students develop key expertise in the areas of IP and technology law. These students are the lawyers of the future and already they are giving back to their local technology community.”

The IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is funded by support from the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Osgoode Hall Law School, ��and .

Media Contact: Virginia Corner, Communications Manager, Osgoode Hall Law School of 91��ɫ, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca

Sandra McLean, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca

About the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic

Founded and directed by Professor Giuseppina D’Agostino in 2010, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is a needs-based, innovation-to-market legal clinic operated in collaboration with Innovation 91��ɫ and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. The Innovation Clinic is staffed by student volunteers from Osgoode Hall Law School who are supervised by lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. Under the guidance and mentorship of the supervising lawyers, Innovation Clinic Fellows provide one-to-one legal information services to inventors, entrepreneurs, and start-up companies to assist with the innovation and commercialization processes. Through this hands-on practical experience, Innovation Clinic Fellows learn about common early-stage IP and business law issues facing actors in the innovation ecosystem. To date, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic has trained over 80 Osgoode Hall law students and served over 100 companies in the areas of IP and technology law.

About 91��ɫ

91��ɫ is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91��ɫ students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91��ɫ U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91��ɫ is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. 91��ɫ U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

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