Author Archives: Karen

MSPL offering $2000 discount for 2014-2015 academic year

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If the MS in Patent Law is an option for you, make sure your completed application* is submitted by December 15, 2013! All students who submit complete applications by that date, and who then join the MSPL’s 2014-2015 cohort, will receive a $2000 discount on their tuition!

The MSPL is a one-academic-year program, at Notre Dame’s campus in South Bend, IN. We prepare our students for practice as patent agents, through a curriculum of hands-on, practical learning. Candidates must be Patent Bar eligible, which means they have a science or engineering background.

Patent agents usually work at law firms and at R&D-based companies, where they help inventors protect their inventions by getting patents. Many of our graduates, like Kerisha Bowen, have gone on to work at law firms in major markets. Our graduates are in high demand from law firms across the country.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the MSPL, please contact the program Director, Prof. Karen Deak. We will also be hosting an Open House in Chicago on November 7, 2013.

 

 

*Completed applications, for the purposes of consideration for the tuition discount, include informal transcripts, GRE/LSAT scores, and all required personal statements.

A quiet week for the MS in Patent Law

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It’s been a quiet week on campus, since it’s been Fall Break! I think everyone has been ready for it, too!

I’ve spent my week catching up – doing some writing that I should have done a long time ago about my ideas to move the MS in Patent Law forward; and also taking care of some things at home that I’ve been putting off. Most importantly, I spent this Thursday in Chicago, working on what we’ll be doing there over the next couple of years. Stay tuned for exciting details!

Cathi has had a busy week while the students were gone. On Monday she was at the Big 10 Grad Fair at Purdue, and on Thursday she was at Loyola at their graduate fair. She got to meet a bunch of great people, some of whom will hopefully be joining the MS in Patent Law in the next few years.

Probably the most exciting thing that happened this week is that we held the first organizing meeting for what Notre Dame will be doing at the 2014 International BIO convention. Again, we have big plans in the works; I’ll keep you updated as those plans come together, too.

USC game day

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Today Notre Dame plays USC, in one of the few home night games of our football season. As I’ve written about in earlier posts (here, here, and here), football weekends are great times for networking with alums who are interested in what we’re doing with the MSPL, and in meeting our students.

Yesterday we hosted another of our Friday Lunch-and-Learns, in which Stephen Smith, a patent litigator from Quinn Emmanuel (ND ’07), talked about what patent prosecutors can do to make his job as a patent litigator easier (or harder, depending which side he’s on). Stephen’s talk was really engaging, and he included a bunch of practical tips that the MSPL students hopefully will take with them as they write their capstone patent applications. This is Stephen’s second visit to the MSPL – he came last year and was so well-received that we invited him back!

I have been working hard today, too. I started the day with a breakfast with someone who I hope will be a new friend to the MSPL. Over lunch, I met with Peter McHugh (ND ??, I wouldn’t want to say), who is an attorney for the biotech trade group called BIO. Last year was Notre Dame’s first time participating in BIO in awhile, and we had a really good reception among the biotech community. We are planning an AWESOME event this coming convention, which is June 23, 2014 – June 26, 2014. Stay tuned for details.

After that, I was invited to the GE tent. GE has been a strong partner to Notre Dame generally, hiring more than 500 ND grads in the past 10 years or so. GE has also been a strong friend to the MSPL, hosting us at several of their sites last year over spring break (posts here and here).

It’s been a great day, and now I’m ready to watch some football. GO IRISH!

Game Day - a view out the office window

Game Day – a view out the office window

Launch of our Chicago space!

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The MS in Patent Law is excited to be a part of the new Law School space in Chicago! Next year, we’ll begin to offer some instruction at 224 S. Michigan Avenue (right across from the Art Institute).

Meanwhile, I hope you’ll consider joining us for our launch party on November 20, 2013. From 6-8pm (Chicago time) the space will be open, and you’ll be able to see our state-of-the-art AV, visit the building’s penthouse, and of course, enjoy refreshments.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to me (kdeak@nd.edu) or Patti McLaughlin (pmclaug1@nd.edu). I hope I see you there!

NDLS Chicago Launch Invite2

Irish tailgating

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On Saturday, I went to the ND-ASU game. On my way into the stadium, who should I run into but two of last year’s MSPL students – Beau Horner and Kary Yergler!!

Beau has recently taken a job in Austin, at a firm called Hulsey and Associates. Kary has just accepted an offer to start in Fish & Richardson’s Dallas office in mid-October. What a great surprise to be able to catch up with the two of them!

Beau Horner (MSPL '13), me, Kary Yergler (MSPL '13)

Beau Horner (MSPL ’13), me, Kary Yergler (MSPL ’13)

Dallas! (Actually, Ft. Worth and Arlington…)

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I am about to leave Ft. Worth after a visit to watch the Irish play ASU in AT&T Stadium. I had a great trip!

On Friday, I had lunch with Jerry Welch, who is an ND engineering alum; Rob Hanson, who I used to practice with; and a couple of new patent prosecutor friends in Dallas. Friday night was the pep rally and then an event for ND alums in the area. At the alumni event, there was a real steer, which we all got to sit on. Enjoy!

I AM ON A COW. You're welcome!

I AM ON A COW. You’re welcome!

 

 

 

Lunch-and-learn Monday

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Monday we were fortunate to have a guest lecture from Jack Regan, a partner at WilmerHale. Jack is an ND alum (Government major), and is now a patent litigator – which means he tries patent cases in court in front of a judge and jury.

Jack told us about a case he’s currently involved in, which he will shortly argue at the Federal Circuit (where all patent cases go on appeal). Specifically, Jack explained what a Markman hearing is: where a judge decides what the claims in a patent really mean. In the Markman hearing, the two sides argue about what claim terms mean based on how the claims are written and also on the other language in the patent itself. The Markman hearing happens before the “real” trial, and can sometimes decide the case without it ever going to a judge or jury.

Jack was in town for the Oklahoma game (enough about football!). Usually we do our Lunch-and-Learns on Football Fridays in the fall, but Jack couldn’t make it to campus on Friday because he was wrapped up with his caseload. It was great to hear from Jack right now, because our students are starting to think about claims for their Capstone technologies, so it was a great opportunity to reinforce that claims need to be clearly and accurately written.

 

Writing claims

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In our Capstone class this week, we wrote claims. Again. 😉

This week, the students wrote claims for coasters. You know, those things you put your drinks on when it’s humid outside. There are three coasters, each slightly different from the others; so the students broke into small groups and each group wrote a claim for a coaster.

Do you have a coaster handy? Pick it up, and notice how “simple” it is. Each of our coasters has a top layer (keeps the water off the table); and a bottom layer (keeps the coaster from slipping around on the table). Even as simple as our coasters are, it took over 30 minutes to write claims about them… and I think that was pretty efficient!

That’s what patent agents do. They have to thoroughly describe the invention. And that kind of thorough description doesn’t come easily. It has to be carefully thought out. And after that, the description has to be translated into the appropriate legal language to make the description into a claim that can be enforced against an infringer.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-Pack Boasters Stainless Steel Mascot Coasters

The Chicago patent bar

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I’ve had a busy week this week! On Monday, we had the Open House, which kicked off our recruiting season for our next class. On Wednesday, Travis, one of this year’s MSPL students; Gaylene, from our Office of Technology Transfer; and I met with a faculty inventor to learn about his technology (which Travis will be working on as his Capstone project).

Thursday was quite full. I was on the South Shore Line train into Chicago at 6AM, and arrived at 8AM. I love riding the train in because I get so much done without the distractions of email! I met Ron Kaminecki there, along with Janet Laybold from our Law School. We spent the day talking to Chicago patent prosecutors and litigators about the MSPL. They had some really good ideas about ways that we can promote the program in the Chicago area; both to find students and to help our graduates get great jobs.

Thursday ended with an invitation to attend the Linn Inn of Court. Inns of Court (I learned on Thursday) are a way for the legal bar within a particular field of law to share knowledge and mentor the next generation of lawyers in that field. I’m not sure if I, as a patent agent, would be eligible to participate. Hopefully I’ll continue to be invited and can learn more about what happens!

Friday we hosted the professionals from our Office of Technology Transfer, so that the MSPL students could get to know them. Because our students’ Capstone projects are delivered to OTT at the end of the year, it is important to me that everyone can put a name with a face well before the final work is handed in. We kept it pretty informal, simply doing introductions all around (students and OTT folks) and then doing a Q&A. I think our students asked some great questions!

And, of course, Saturday was the MSU game. I spent my pre-game time working hard, making sure that I met a couple of patent professionals who were tailgating!

Chicago skyline at night

Chicago skyline at night