Bonnie Hassanzadeh is an IP Intensive student and 3L 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, Bonnie completed an internship at Bereskin & Parr LLP under the direct supervision of Reshika Dhir. As Principal Investigator, Prof. Pina D’Agostino secured three $10,000 grants from Mitacs, one of which was used to fund this internship. 

This past summer, I completed an internship with as part of the ’s collaboration with IP Osgoode. I was tasked with creating business and marketing materials for the Engineering and Technology practice group, focusing mainly on topics pertaining to patent prosecution. Over the course of my internship, I conducted extensive research into the patenting process, the value of patents for a business, as well as issues related to patent infringement and available remedies in Canada.

One of the skills I sharpened over the course of my internship was effective and accessible legal writing. Early on, I realized that I needed to strike a balance between communicating dense legal concepts that are crucial to the everyday practice of patent professionals with accessibility of that content for existing and prospective clients. Many clients who seek the services of patent professionals have extensive knowledge in technical fields, such as science or engineering, but often do not have much experience with intellectual property law. Therefore, it was crucial for me to adjust my writing to the needs of clients. I was grateful to receive constructive feedback from my mentor, , on a regular basis and improve on my work each week.

My experience of working at a law firm was also unique in that not only did I get to collaborate with the lawyers and patent professionals at Bereskin & Parr, but I also got a glimpse into the creative and marketing side of running a successful firm. As a law student with a background in the life sciences, I did not have much experience with the creative process of developing business materials going into the program, and through collaborating with a talented team of marketing professionals, I learned a lot about the importance of effective presentation of information.

I also had several opportunities to collaborate with the professionals at Bereskin & Parr to write and publish articles about recent topics in intellectual property law and examine those topics not only from a theoretical perspective but also from the lens of practitioners in the field. Writing articles and going through the process of editing with the professionals provided great opportunities for me to clarify my understanding of key legal doctrines and how they apply to the practice of law in a boutique IP law firm.

Overall, my experience with the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program and their collaboration with IP Osgoode and Bereskin & Parr LLP was a very rewarding one and I took many lessons from my summer term that I know I will utilize in the future.

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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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