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Meena Alnajar is an IPilogue Writer, IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.

On Wednesday, March 9, I attended the “Breaking the Bias in IP: Reflections from Women in Leadership” held by ChIPs’ Toronto chapter. is a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to showcasing women in leadership positions in intellectual property and technology careers. ChIPs’ is to advance and connect women in technology, law, and policy. They aim to through diversity of thought, participation, and engagement. The organization currently has over members in Canada, the United States, and Europe. ; still, it is important to understand the lived experiences of women-identifying professionals in this area of law in order to bring about change and awareness to this issue.

This event was structured as a question-and-answer panel, with some questions from the hosts and some from the 90+ audience participants on Zoom. The panelists were three women in the intellectual property and technology fields: Sheema Khan, a patent agent currently working at Kinaxis and previously at Stratford Managers Corporation; Judith Robinson, a senior consultant with Fineberg Ramamoorthy LLP focusing on patent litigation; and Alexandria Daoud, a patent agent and vice president of intellectual property and regulatory affairs at Anyon Systems Inc. The event was opened and closed by Daphne Lainson, a partner and chair of Smart & Biggar LLP, and moderated by Beverley Moore, the national leader of BLG’s intellectual property litigation group. It was inspiring to see women from diverse career paths, as not all started as IP professionals or were even sure of entering the IP space.

The Pool Problem

A common concern regarding diversity in many career fields is ‘the pool problem’. Companies put forth that they have a limited number of qualified applicants who are diverse and this drives to disparities in the workplace, as opposed to peoples’ internal biases. The pool problem has especially grown in intellectual property and technology law, with one study reporting that of patent attorneys and agents are women. The pool problem starts early, with less women than men enrolling in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics () programs for their bachelor’s degrees. While the pool problem persists, the panelists shared experiences and advice that demonstrate that the pool problem does not have to allow gender disparities to persist in the IP space.

Supporting Women in IP

Each panelist provided not only words of encouragement for women in IP, but also words of action and change. The participants were encouraged to look beyond the statistics and actually ask about women in the workplace. They suggested participants observe who is the project leader, who clients are asking for, and recommend women for these spaces where they are not considered. For instance, where a project consists of an all-men team, despite there being qualified women for the job, one can ask why women were not considered or excluded and encourage that change if possible. Similarly, they can let clients know that there are qualified women to take on their files. There are existing initiatives that encourage firms to create reference sheets for clients consisting of leading women lawyers in certain sectors, like the program.

Implementable Changes

Allyship and authenticity were two recurring themes for change at this event. Allyship should manifest in both mentorship programs, but also through colleague support such as having men in the office join committees that ensure women’s fair treatment in IP workspaces. The workplace should also welcome authenticity, in the sense that it should acknowledge women’s roles beyond billable hours, including their contribution to fostering committees within the workplace. These elements can help create positive work environments that encourage more women to follow IP careers.

Organizations like ChIPs demonstrate that women in IP can be leaders and successful, all while being themselves. Events such as Breaking the Bias are safe spaces to have these difficult, but real conversations about IP’s gender disparity, and attendees can learn implementable changes that can ameliorate this disparity in the future.

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Meena Alnajar is an IPilogue Writer, IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.

2021 was a big year for innovation and small businesses—venture capital (“VC”) funding reached an all-time high with higher funding in the US than the total raised in 2020. are investors who provide funds to small businesses and start-ups that exhibit exceptional growth potential based on market studies. In return, investors get equity in the company and may have a say in future decisions. It is an increasingly and fast way to fund new businesses. Yet despite this growth, women-founded companies receive just a small cut of this large investment. In particular, women-founded companies earned only percent of the . What stands between women’s ideas and the capital that helps them flourish? Industry barriers and sociocultural changes may provide some answers.

With unemployment on the rise, several studies find women are disproportionately affected by industry setbacks. A study found that women were 1.8 times more vulnerable to lose work than men in the pandemic, which may have made investors nervous to fund many women-led businesses this year. Beyond the pandemic context, some attitudes within the VC industry that may also drive the disparity between men and women’s VC funding.

In the industry, gender stereotypes not only create a barrier to hiring women in the start-up space, but also seek to discredit a woman’s value when pursuing certain ventures. For instance, , CEO and Co-Founder of the venture-backed tech company Vivoom, noted that “Male VCs … are very comfortable now giving female entrepreneurs capital for ”, like the stereotypical household and baby products, but hesitate to fund cutting-edge software and technology founded by women. While women are now welcome in the venture space, there seems to be only certain rooms they can enter if they want to be well-funded by male VCs. Those in control of the funds seemingly control the gender disparity in VC funding of certain companies. Could the solution to the disparity be to encourage more women to act as investors?

The disparity in funding women-led ventures could stem from the fact that women make up only 6.3% of investors, based on . However, simply including more women as investors is unlikely to alleviate the disparity observed in VC funding. Women-identifying investors face problems when attempting to back ventures. Since women also experience gender disparity in business leadership, women who are investors are less likely to have been . Entrepreneurs to accept money from (and relinquish equity to) investors without this experience. The proportion of women as venture capitalists is not the only issue; how women venture capitalists are perceived by entrepreneurs is also problematic. On the surface, women-identifying VCs have investment success rates than men. Upon further examination, this performance difference is venture selection, but rather the VC firm’s features such as . Selecting women-identifying investors is not a proven solution to alleviating gender disparity. However, co-workers and entrepreneurs supporting women investors in their work environments can further women-led VC success.

The gender disparity affects several stages of the VC pipeline, from investor disparities to the lack of women-led VC in prominent sectors like tech. To close this gap, business institutes recommend of a small business. For example, if a start-up classifies itself as a social impact venture, investors should utilize the peer-assessment model instead of estimating capital flow to determine the “investability” of that venture. In addition, having positions may overcome stereotypes and biases from investors by providing evidence that women can lead successful businesses.

The gender disparity not only hinders women-led VC potential but also dismisses women-led VC’s success in the market. found that women-led start-ups can deliver high revenues, nearly twice the amount of every dollar invested. Further, women-led businesses are to employ women and their businesses are more likely to focus on and employee relationships. When you invest in women, it propagates into more opportunities for women and positive contributions to societal issues like labour relations. Limiting women’s access to funding could deprive us from innovative ideas and employment opportunities. Women have been driving exceptional businesses in the last decade and can continue to do so with greater investment. VCs should therefore consider looking beyond stereotypes and invest in women, to invest in better futures.

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Meena Alnajar is an��IPilogue��Writer, IP Innovation Clinic Fellow,��and a 2L JD Candidate at��Osgoode��Hall Law School

On October 12, 2021, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held its of the series “Closing the Gender Gap in IP,” titled “Looking at Good Practices.” This part of the series looks to the existing policy changes that, according to the session’s moderator Aurora Diaz-Rato Revuelta, a UN ambassador for Spain, will “trace the path to be followed.” WIPO had a commendably diverse group of panelists. Four speakers from Mexico, Oman, Uganda, and the UK provided their insights and initiatives to close the gender gap in IP.

The first speaker, Anel Valencia Carmona, is the Deputy Director General for Support Services for IMPI, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property. This organization aims to increase women’s role in innovation and entrepreneurship. Interestingly, when her group attempted to assess the gender gap using patent data, they initially found no way to identify if a man or a woman wrote a patent. The group thus implemented a gender-identifying number which patentees can add to their application if they choose to participate in gathering data on women in IP. Prior to the gender identifier, any applicant without a gender-specific name was considered a man. The that from 2014-2018, men filed 62.5% of patent applications, 31.4% of applications involved both genders or were gender neutral, and women filed 6.2%. The project had two main goals: enhancing women’s visibility in the IP space and providing women the information to help them innovate. The team put on weekly podcasts to spotlight women inventors and held sessions with outside experts to help women with IP processes. In creating network opportunities for women in IP, the hope is that entrepreneurial women will be emerged in IP for years to come.

The second speaker, Thuraya Saud Al-Alawi, is the head of the intellectual property section and innovation and technology transfer center at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. Ms. Al-Alawi also spoke to the barriers in Oman as women are still in IP in the country. IP was initially not accessible in Oman. The IP office, located in the country’s capital Muscat, required paper applications. The distance to the IP office and the physical requirements only further discouraged people from filing. However, Oman has recently implemented an electronic patent system set to fees by up to 90%. The University has also collaborated with WIPO to set up efforts to incubate women’s ideas and help explain IP policy by setting up a ‘summer school’ program. The hope is to enhance women’s IP knowledge and accessibility to registration to close the gender gap.

The third speaker, Ms. Mubiru Lilian Nantume, is the Founder of Grooming a Successful Woman with Intellectual Mind , a Ugandan NGO to empower women in the community to create a business and utilize IP to commercialize their products. The perception of women’s roles in remote communities is belonging ‘in the kitchen.’ This mindset is a significant barrier to women’s participation in innovation. GSWIM works with women in the community, finding out their interests and passions, then giving them a small amount of capital to help them grow their business ideas. GSWIM equips women with knowledge regarding product development, branding, and IP. The organization further empowers women with business sense by giving them capital and hosting product expos for them to display their work. This grassroots initiative demonstrates how we can collaborate to help all women participate in IP, including those living in remote and metropolitan communities.��

The final speaker, Andrea Brewster, is the lead executive officer of , a volunteer group of UK-based IP professionals. Ms. Brewster emphasizes that inclusivity is crucial, as it will “facilitate and sustain diversity.” Hence, it is essential to have professionals that are willing to grow their networks and practices to involve women. IP Inclusive has several members and hosts joint events across communities. They have a for business leaders to commit to championing diversity and inclusion. IP Inclusive wishes to focus less on the symptoms of gender disparity, like the pay gap and societal perceptions and targets the underlying causes such as lack of inclusivity and insufficient allyship in the profession.

The commonalities between the panelists included mentorship, encouragement, and accessibility in their communities as methods for encouraging women in IP. With WIPO continuing the series in 2022, the hope is to improve the statistics and perhaps see these initiatives implemented on a larger scale.

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Emily Chow is an��IPilogue��Writer and a 1L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.��

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The (“NIHF”) has released its list of 2022 inductees, which notably includes two Black Female inventors for the . As the NIHF has never inducted Black woman before, I intend to provide some preliminary historical context, an overview of Black women’s contributions to STEM, and to gesture towards contemporary movements which aim to unpack the sociopolitical, economic, cultural, racist, and sexist underpinnings of STEM education and health inequity. ��

A cursory search of previous inductees led to unsurprising results. In 1973, the year of the NIHF’s inception, only was recognized. In 1991, became the first (white) female inductee, three years after she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine alongside her male collaborators ��

Fast forward to the present: the late Patricia Bath and Google VP of Engineering Marian Croak, with over 205 US patents between them, join the ranks of over 600 NIHF inductees.

Patricia Bath’s reveals that she was the first Black woman physician to receive a medical patent, as well as the and the in America. Her invention, , a minimally invasive, low-risk cataract removal procedure, is still used today. Her career and numerous achievements, especially with the development of Community Ophthalmology—in response to that Black populations experienced disproportionately higher rates of visual impairment—collectively demonstrate her whole-hearted commitment to improving access to healthcare for Black, Hispanic, and other marginalized groups in America.��

VP of Engineering at Google and creator-lead of Google’s , Marian Croak is being recognized for her work in —the digital codification of human voices and sound into data that can be transmitted through the internet. Given the ongoing pandemic and shift to remote office work and schooling, we owe much of our adaptive capacity to her hard-earned expertise. In 2012, she penned an open letter titled Dear Young Women in Technology, Welcome From a 30-year Veteran that discussed gender identity in a male-dominated field. She revisited gender stereotypes in a more recent , where she notes how critics doubted the feminized utility of “toy like technology” created by her team at Netscape. Now, she is proud to offer representation to people who can now “see someone that looks like themselves on some dimension.”

According to , NIHF designates and works with inductees with the intent to “infuse their stories, insights, and passion into our STEM education programs”, to ultimately provide “authentic, impactful experiences that help tomorrow’s innovators realize their potential.” As well-intended as this mandate is, its wording suggests that they aim to assimilate and co-opt Black, Indigenous, POC experiences, appropriating the transmission of knowledge and claiming the power to dispense and designate expertise. In effect, this process hinges on the ingenuity of racialized persons without providing the resources necessary to tell their own stories, facilitate their own workshops, and create opportunities to work directly with their own communities.

Furthermore, this mandate frames human potential as purely self-originating, rather than something fostered, supported, and/or uplifted. How then do non-traditional forms of knowledge, such as (especially oral histories and collective knowledge) fit within an individualized, colonial system? What inventions were who, being denied citizenship, were barred from filing their own patents? How can we best develop intersectional approaches to expand access to education and healthcare for racialized groups?

Rather than seeking a singular, normative answer, the following resources offer interested readers some starting points of engagement. Congratulations to all the 2022 inductees.

Further Reading

91��ɫ/Osgoode Hall Law School announces launch of Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages (CIKL):

IPilogue Writer Emily Xiang writes about protecting culture in IP:

IP Osgoode’s IP Innovation Clinic Client intake information page:

The American Bar Association’s overview of “colorblind” patent systems and Black innovation:

Black Health Alliance, a charity working to address healthcare inequities for Black communities in Canada:

DMZ’s Black Innovation programs for entrepreneurs:

Black Innovation Capital, an investment fund that seeks to support Black founders and address barriers for minority communities:

Patent Racism, an episode from NPR’s Planet Money tracing histories of Black innovation:

Information about NIHF’s STEM programs:

The Assembly of First Nations’ discussion paper on Aboriginal knowledge and IP:

Canada’s Indigenous Intellectual Property Program grant:

The Canadian Government’s introductory materials to IP Rights and Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Expressions in Canada:

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Why are women’s voices underrepresented in the media?

Statistics show that male voices and perspectives , traditional and otherwise. When you include other identifying factors - such as race, sexuality, and religion - the gap further widens. None of this or new information. While the gender gap is , there is still a lot of work needed be done to help amplify previously invisible voices. As the recent social unrest triggered by the tragic death of George Floyd illustrates, when one group dominates a narrative, it often leads to the or lived realties.

Social scientists suggest that part of the reason why women’s voices are missing from society, even today, is because of the . Males are taught to be and that their voices have value. Females are raised to be quiet and docile. Gender socialization is complex, and anyone that breaks the mold is harassed and bullied.

Recent studies show that women leaders for abuse on social media. Teenage environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, has been repeatedly targeted by men, including . Movie stars, like and , were forced to delete their social media because of relentless harassment. Fear of getting bullied is one of the main reasons women may reject the opportunities they do receive.

How can I add value to this discussion?

��Another reason, as was articulated by Shari in the seminar, is the notion of, “am I the best person?” Shari stated that women sometimes have a knee-jerk reaction to reject new opportunities because they believe they are not the best person or authority on the topic. ��Shari suggested that instead of thinking, “am I the best person?” women should instead ask themselves whether they can add value to a topic by adding their opinion. Naturally, self-doubt is not exclusive to one gender. However, statistics do show that women for positions because they feel that they are .

Admittedly, I wondered whether I was the best person when asked if anyone would like to attend and blog about the event. Even as I write this, I’m trying to change my mindset and think about the value I can add to this piece by incorporating my experiences and perspectives. Among all the wonderful strategies offered, this deceptively simple approach has resonated with me the most.

If you’d like to learn more about Informed Opinions, and attend a workshop to amplify your own voice or someone else’s, click . If you’d like to attend CAN-TECH’s annual law conference in October, .

Nikita Munjal is an IPilogue Editor, Clinic Fellow with the Innovation Clinic, and a JD/MBA Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.

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The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) made building IP awareness and education one of the key pillars of our . Through the program we established, we’ve been able to engage directly with partners with a keen interest in growing IP knowledge, and helping business use their IP more strategically. In particular, our IP Awareness and Education Program has made a point of reaching out to women entrepreneurs, who traditionally have been less likely to use IP, to help them become more IP savvy and give them tools for business success that flow from their IP.

Our work on awareness and education supports the Government of Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan, as well as the National IP Strategy which was announced in April 2018. In last year’s budget, the Government also announced $85.3 million over five years to support the National IP Strategy. CIPO was very proud to have our IP Awareness and Education Program established as a foundational piece of the Strategy.

We don’t have all the answers today about why women entrepreneurs and innovators are somewhat underrepresented in terms of global IP filings. We know that in 2017, 31.2% of all applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) included women inventors, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s PCT Yearly Review.�� For PCT applications originating in Canada, the number is 24.8%. Of all inventors named in PCT applications, only 16.4% were women. Data we’ve compiled at CIPO suggests that women-owned businesses are disproportionately among those with no IP.

We can take meaningful steps today to help ensure that more women have a better understanding of IP and are able to use it strategically, to try to move the needle in a positive direction. That includes continuing efforts to increase IP literacy and the strategic use of IP by women entrepreneurs and scientists through targeted initiatives like those we have in our IP Awareness and Education Program at CIPO. The Empowering Women Entrepreneurs symposium is just one outstanding example of the ways we strive to keep the dialogue alive about IP and innovation among women.

The tools and resources we offer to support businesses and innovators are free and accessible, and available at . They can help you learn about IP, from the basics of patents, trademarks and industrial designs, to more advanced topics for those further along on their IP journeys. We have a team of working in all the regions of Canada, who are there to answer questions and provide insight into IP strategies for businesses. And we’re adding more resources all the time to help Canadians get the IP knowledge they need to succeed.

We’re here to help! Reach out to CIPO any time you have questions about IP, and together we can continue to help women innovate, grow their businesses and succeed.

Written by Darlene Carreau,��Director General, Business Services Branch at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

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Enabling women entrepreneurs to better leverage their IP was the focus of IP Osgoode's  at Osgoode Hall Law School on 11 February 2019. The symposium brought together IP experts and accomplished entrepreneurs for a full day of panels, break-out sessions, and networking opportunities. The inspiring event was the brainchild of IP Osgoode's founder & director, Professor Pina D’Agostino, and the team at Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) led by Darlene Carreau, Director General of the Business Services Branch at the CIPO.  The symposium continues the organizations’ efforts to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship across Canada.

Keynote Address and Panel Discussion

, cofounder of & , discussed challenges she overcame as a young female entrepreneur. She highlighted the benefits she experienced from having a male business partner whom she trusts and who advocates for her. Through discussions with the attendees, Rawlley advised that finding a trustworthy partner requires following your gut and looking for a personality that complements your own. In addition to having an advocate, it is essential to be confident in business interactions. You can develop confidence from self-learning and equipping yourself with new technical skills. Rawlley also balances confidence with vulnerability. She suggested that vulnerability through sharing negative experiences when networking with others is important to make meaningful connections and learn from colleagues in the industry.

During the panel discussion, Darlene Carreau discussed the issues with low IP awareness and use among Canadian enterprises. IP is essential to businesses as they grow and scale. , Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and former Chief Legal Officer for Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM), contextualized the conversation by adding that even after paying registration fees, maintaining IP can be a significant cost. For example, having IP registrations can make companies a target for .

Jacqueline (Jackie Cooper), former Chief Revenue Officer at Muse, discussed how these business challenges present opportunities to find new ways to leverage IP rights. Jessica Rawlley added that IP has to be seen as an investment and not as a cost. Thinking about IP in early business stages is not typically a priority and it tends to be pushed down on a company’s list of things to do. Through her discussion questions, Professor D’Agostino highlighted issues such as the lack of innovation that aims to address women’s needs. Considering women’s perspectives in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a step toward this goal. One example of how women entrepreneurs have changed the way innovation addresses women’s issues is , which uses a fiber found in bullet proof vests and climbing materials to create indestructible pantyhose.

Important Conversations

The event was an incredibly unique opportunity for women entrepreneurs to obtain advice from a female perspective, instead of receiving business advice that is blind to their realities. Those that attended the event had the rare chance to receive guidance from IP professionals in circumstances that were safe and welcoming for women.

In the afternoon breakout sessions, participants were able to have direct conversations with IP experts and receive immediate feedback, without any interruptions or condescension. As we heard throughout the day, these are issues that continue to beguile women in business, especially in the technology industry. In particular, , the Waterloo Region IP Advisor at the CIPO, spoke about her experiences advising male Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) who think they know everything about IP, and the keynote, Jessica Rawlley, reflected on the times when business connections would ignore her until her male business partner repeated the same thought. This is a sad reality which hinders progress for professional women, but at the symposium participants were actually respected and heard.

The Women Entrepreneurship Symposium provided a wealth of information for women business owners. It provided resources, information, and networking opportunities for women who are accomplishing incredible things and stimulating the Canadian economy through business. But perhaps the most important takeaway was the hope and inspiration that will undoubtedly give participants the confidence they need to succeed.

Meeting so many formidable women who had started or were planning to start businesses was immensely encouraging. At the start of the day, Interim Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Mary Condon had expressed her hope that we would all leave with more “inspiration and enthusiasm” than when we arrived. And she got her wish.

Written by Gillian Burrell and Summer Lewis. Gillian Burrell is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Summer Lewis is an IPilogue Editor and a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.

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Co-chaired by Osgoode Professor Pina D’Agostino, founder and director of IP Osgoode and the Innovation Clinic, and Darlene Carreau, Director-General, Business Services Branch, CIPO, the symposium will bring together an impressive group of successful women entrepreneurs, business leaders, and IP practitioners who will reflect on their own experiences and mentor the attendees on how to recognize, protect and commercialize their IP.

The symposium features a keynote presentation from , the co-founder of MaaS Pros and TIEIT Inc. Rawlley has been recognized for her outstanding entrepreneurship and contributions to the country’s innovation ecosystem. She is the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year and TIEIT also received the Innovation of the Year award at the same event.

The morning panel, entitled “IP & Commercialization – Protecting and Leveraging Your Most Valuable Assets: You and Your Ideas,” will focus on the importance of having an IP strategy and best practices for leveraging some of the main areas of IP. The panel will also focus on key issues to identify and act on as well as the realities of starting a business. Chaired by D’Agostino, the panel features Darlene Carreau from CIPO, along with , former Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Research in Motion (Blackberry) and Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation, and , Chief Revenue Office, Muse.

Following a networking luncheon, attendees will break into smaller groups and circulate through four IP-themed mentorship sessions. These sessions offer an interactive networking opportunity for the participants to ask questions, connect with leading experts and entrepreneurs, and receive mentorship directed at their professional and business goals. The four mentorship session themes are structured around pivotal aspects of the commercialization cycle: 1) IP identification and protection, 2) IP commercialization and strategies, 3) IP and financing, and 4) growing and scaling.

Carreau will be joined by , Associate, Bereskin & Parr LLP, and , Lawyer and Patent Agent, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, to discuss how entrepreneurs should recognize the value in their ideas and inventions and protect them via various forms of IP law.

During the IP commercialization and strategies sessions, Karima Bawa will be joined by , Partner, Cassels Brock, to discuss how IP can be effectively leveraged and commercialized in many ways.

The IP and financing mentorship sessions will give attendees insight into the importance of having and leveraging IP to secure external funding. , Regional Innovation Officer, Innovation Canada (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) and , CPA, CA, Baker Tilly Vaughan LLP, will draw from their experiences in areas such as entrepreneurship and manufacturing to guide attendees forward.

Recognizing the important role that scale-ups play in Canada’s economy, Jackie Cooper and , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, will speak to the unique challenges that entrepreneurs and start-ups face as they move towards the scale-up level.

The ‘Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Effective Strategies for IP Commercialization and Success’ symposium continues the efforts of IP Osgoode and CIPO to encourage and empower entrepreneurs across Canada. IP Osgoode and CIPO staff will be on hand to connect with attendees looking to access services and tools such as IP Osgoode’s and the CIPO’s new .

Founded in 2010, the Innovation Clinic is the largest pro bono IP legal clinic and the first of its kind in Canada. In collaboration with and , the Innovation Clinic provides experiential learning experiences for Osgoode students in the areas of IP and technology law while at the same time providing 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.

CIPO’s IP Awareness and Education Program serves as a one-stop shop that helps connect Canadians with the IP tools, resources and experts they need at every stage of their IP commercialization journey.

The symposium is free of charge and open to all members of the 91��ɫ community and anyone interested in learning more about IP law and the role of IP in commercial success.

About IP Osgoode

Conceptualized & founded in 2008 by Professor Giuseppina D’Agostino, IP Osgoode, the Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Technology Program at Osgoode Hall Law School, is an independent and authoritative voice which explores legal governance issues at the intersection of intellectual property and technology. IP Osgoode cultivates interdisciplinary, comparative and transnational research, collaboration, policy-thinking and practice on the basis of a tight connection between teaching, research and clinical action. IP Osgoode has put Osgoode and 91��ɫ on the map in the global IP debate. We aim to influence the IP debate in Canada and internationally by educating our students and collaborating with the IP community in Canada and worldwide. Together, we have built an innovative program that is cutting-edge and completely unique to Osgoode

About 91��ɫ

91��ɫ champions 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-disciplinary 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 25 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 300,000 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.

About CIPO

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office��(CIPO) is a Special Operating Agency��(SOA) of (ISED). CIPO is responsible for the administration and processing of the greater part of ��(IP) in Canada. CIPO's areas of activity include trademarks, patents, copyright, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies. CIPO's mandate is to deliver high quality and timely IP services to customers, and to increase awareness, knowledge and effective use of IP by Canadians.

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Before her Osgoode appointment, she was recruited by the federal government’s Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) program for the Department of Canadian Heritage and worked at the Copyright Policy Branch. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Intellectual Property Journal (IPJ) and previously was an associate at a large firm in Toronto. Her research interests in the intellectual property, technology and innovation law and policy fields are wide-ranging and she is highly sought after as a public speaker and consultant.����She is a cited authority at the Supreme Court of Canada and in various media, and is regularly called on by foreign and Canadian federal and provincial governments for advice.

Prof. Giuseppina D'Agostino

Q1 Why is it important that more women get involved in the IP system?

It is more important for women to be involved and represented in business generally, the IP system being a slice of it. More women entrepreneurs lead to more diversity from the products we will create and commercialize, to the boardrooms we will be in, governing our leading companies. Ultimately, we will have more female role models our girls and boys looking up to, sorely need.

Q2 Why is there a persistent gender gap in the innovation ecosystem? Are current efforts enough to change this situation?

The gap persists in various ecosystems, not limited to the innovation space. Generally women are the traditional caregivers and this takes up a lot of time, time away from innovation. We need to be doing much more to support women in the innovation space, starting with ensuring more women are encouraged to enter into STEM fields and stay in them. Within legal education, we embraced and conquered this challenge long ago. Now at Osgoode we actually have more women than men enrolled in the JD program who ultimately are very active in our Innovation Clinic helping start-ups, taking our IP classes and volunteering their time at our many IP Osgoode activities, including this blog.

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

I learned an interesting fact at this year’s International Women’s Day event hosted by Collins Barrow Vaughan and BDC that women are more risk averse in borrowing than men, and that when they do, they tend to borrow less than their male counterparts. This invariably translates into less risk-taking in their business ventures and funding their IP costs. The documentary film Dream, Girl (notice the punctuation!) showcasing the stories of inspiring and ambitious female entrepreneurs helps lead the way to bolster women’s confidence. I would encourage as many of you reading this to see it, no matter your gender or interest in the inventor/start-up space.

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

Inventors and entrepreneurs already face more challenges in Canada than in some other hot spots, like the Bay Area in California for instance, men and female alike. As women, however, the challenges are greater because of a convergence of factors, such as lack of role models and lack of funding from investors. Some investors stereotype and feel that women can’t run companies. This is patently false. Pardon the pun!

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

I think it starts from the grassroots in encouraging more girls go into traditionally poorly-represented disciplines (ie STEM). There also need to be more men and women at the top supporting and encouraging talented women. Whether it be through venture capital, angel and other needed financial backing. Educational curricula and the media too could help by showcasing female entrepreneur role models and, albeit successful, not hearing about Elon Musk and Steve Jobs all the time.

Q6 What types of assistance will benefit female entrepreneurs?

Places like the are particularly sensitive to supporting underrepresented groups, such as female inventors and entrepreneurs. We are currently working with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office to further support women in their exciting start- ups. At the Innovation Clinic we already assist such women by empowering them with information and know how to protect their technologies, grow their businesses and make the difference we know they can!

The post #WorldIPDay Spotlight on Prof. Giuseppina D'Agostino: Founder & Director, @IPOsgoode and #InnovationClinic appeared first on IPOsgoode.

Karima is also a and the former general counsel and chief legal officer for Research In Motion (now BlackBerry); she was involved in overseeing the development of the company's valuable IP portfolio (with over 44,000 patents) as well as managing its IP litigation.

Karima Bawa

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

There is a growing body of which suggests that increased diversity in the workforce can result in stronger performance. I believe this holds true for the IP system as well. I think women can bring a different perspective to evaluating ideas and can help better support women inventors, particularly those that are designing products that are targeted to women. I think female representation needs to be stronger in all of the different areas that contribute to IP - everything from coming up with the ideas and their expression, to protecting the ideas and their expression (through filing and enforcing IP), to leveraging IP in a commercial context.

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

My own experiences as well as studies in the area point to a gender gap in the IP legal sector.��There are fewer women who are patent agents, patent attorneys and IP litigators (likely because many of them do not have the technical background that is either a real or perceived prerequisite to practicing in these areas of law).��For example, while there are no formal education requirements to become a patent agent in Canada obtaining a position as a patent agent trainee is almost impossible without having a science or engineering degree and because there are still fewer women who are pursuing fields like mathematics or physics or engineering there is an even smaller funnel for the number of women who can become patent agents.��However, the landscape is slowly changing as more women pursue a STEM education and explore fields like biotech and clean tech. Also, women are increasingly becoming experts in other areas of IP law like copyright, trade marks, data privacy and protection (which are increasingly being recognized as valuable).

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

Recent suggests that the percentage of female founded companies that are venture-backed has not increased since 2012. These studies suggest that it is more challenging for women to secure funding from VCs because they are still predominantly represented by men who tend to pick which businesses they back largely based on “who’s running the ship.”�� Also, according to these studies, because men don’t use the products that many women innovators come up with and they don’t understand the need for these products or have a passion for them. I would agree with these observations, but I would also add from that from my personal experience, it is more challenging for women to secure funding because, it is often more difficult for them to ask for help and women don’t typically have the same extensive network as men do in the financial and VC space.

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

In my opinion, one of the most significant challenges for female inventors and entrepreneurs, is the lack of female mentors who hold leadership positions.�� For example, in the IP legal sector, there are still fewer women in leadership positions and therefore young women don’t have leaders and mentors that they can turn to who can support them through issues like maternity leave or how to balance work life and family life.�� Also, there is still an unconscious bias on a number of levels. For example, in a law firm, it is quite often a male partner that owns the client relationship and he may unconsciously disproportionately provide opportunities for his male colleagues with whom he may feel a closer connection. In addition, as alluded to above, women tend not to have the same influential networks that they can call upon.�� Also, a very real challenge which exists for women in all sectors is the fact that women are still the primary care givers in most family situations, and as such they simply can’t dedicate the same amount of time and energy for their professional endeavors because there are only so many hours in the day. As such, we need to have meaningful discussions about the structure of modern-day work, especially in time-intensive professions such as law, and what can be done about helping women who want to have a career and raise a family and actually be successful in both domains.

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

The innovation and IP ecosystem can become more inclusive for women by, as a starting point, encouraging women’s interest and engagement in technical fields (for example STEM). Also, women who are in leadership positions have to take it upon themselves to mentor other young women and to encourage flexible working arrangements and the adoption of programs that support issues tending to affect women like transitions to and from maternity leave.

Men too can play a very powerful role in bringing women along. I for example, had the benefit of working with men who supported my desire to have a family and be actively involved in raising a child because they understood that I needed to be able to have flexibility to remain committed to and passionate about what I was doing in the workplace.

Q6 What type of assistance will benefit female entrepreneurs?

I believe that women should be encouraged to network and that workplaces should find ways to facilitate this recognizing that traditional networking opportunities are sometimes more limited for women who are often already struggling to manage their familial commitments alongside their professional commitments. Also, women should be encouraged (through coaching if needed) to feel comfortable talking about themselves and their achievements and get over the fact that doing so is not boastful (if done appropriately).�� VCs need to have more female representation so that women entrepreneurs and their products aren’t as easily dismissed. And finally, it is important to implement working arrangements that are flexible and that recognize that many women have competing demands, like raising their children or supporting their aging parents, that many men simply don’t.

The post #WorldIPDay Spotlight on Karima Bawa: Securing and Tracking the Exchange of Data Files with 3D Bridge Solutions appeared first on IPOsgoode.