Tag Archives: patent agent

MSPL Boot Camp

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A post from our student blogger Sarah Goodman

During the orientation Boot Camp, the MSPL class had the opportunity to learn from three different speakers in the patent law field. The first guest, Dr. Art Moss, is a Sr. Patent Associate at DuPont. He gave a full-day presentation, “Patent Law for Researchers,” to the MSPL class and some members of the Notre Dame community at Innovation Park. Dr. Moss explained the different parts of a patent and techniques for writing a patent application. He also gave an introduction to the United States Code Title 35, which addresses the patentability of inventions.

Our second speaker was Dr. David Burns, a patent agent and employee of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm is a California-based corporation that is a leading patent licensor of wireless technology and innovation. Dr. Burns lectured to our class for three days. Some highlights included an extensive introduction to conducting inventor interviews and working with invention disclosure forms. We also learned more about the Code of Federal Regulations Title 37 which contains the rules concerning the format and filing of patent applications. As one of the most efficient patent writers in his field, he gave our class tips on drafting patents and creating invention illustrations.

We met the final guest speaker of the Boot Camp on a tour of the Union Station Technology Center in South Bend. The facility is a state-of-the-art technology center which offers computing space and power services while operating fiber optic networks for the Midwest. Dr. Shane Fimbel, chief operating officer of Union Station, gave us a presentation about the history and function of this data center as well as a tour of the facilities. He emphasized the essential role of innovation and creativity in the success of this business.

Visiting Biomet

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Guest post by MSPL student Kary Yergler

Before touring the Biomet manufacturing facility, a select few of us had the pleasure of touring a lesser known building at the Biomet Headquarters.  Dr. Dane Miller, one of the founders of Biomet, houses his personal car collection in a two-story facility right next to the manufacturing plant.  The collection includes a wide variety of classic cars from the mid to late 1900s, including the gems seen in the following photos.  Mr. Miller has a phenomenal collection of vehicles, and we appreciated the opportunity to tour this collection.

 

Meet Sarah Goodman

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My name is Sarah Goodman and I am currently a student in the Master of Science in Patent Law Class of 2013.

The MSPL program at the University of Notre Dame will give me opportunities to learn about intellectual property law, as well as practice field-related skills for employment as a patent agent following graduation.

I have a B.S. in Medical Biotechnology from Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY.  While at Upstate, I worked on two research projects in the department of Neuroscience and Physiology. Both of these projects focused on the isolation and characterization of mutations in subjects with Parkinson`s disease or schizophrenia.

This past summer, I conducted research in the biology laboratory of the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal; the hospital of Saint Germain en Laye and Poissy in France. For two months I designed and conducted a research project investigating genetic mutations in subjects with Factor XII deficiency. I am currently analyzing the sequencing files from this project for any novel variations.

My capstone project will be to research an invention and write the patent application. The project I chose is in the molecular biology field and will concern genetically engineered yeast for use as an analytical tool.

I enrolled in this program because patent law is a growing field with technologies constantly evolving. This is a good career to combine a passion for science with an interest in law.  The University of Notre Dame is a great place to begin this career because of the dedication of the professors and researchers on campus. The resources available for this program far exceed my expectations.  As I begin classes, this upcoming school year promises to be very exciting!

Highlighting Notre Dame alumnus Matt Connors

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Not only have Notre Dame alums helped to establish a relationship between the Master of Science in Patent Law and IP-powerhouse General Electric, Domers at prestigious legal firms are excited to help patent law flourish on the Notre Dame campus.

Matthew Connors, who graduated from Notre Dame in 1985 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, is just one such benefactor of the program. A former patent examiner with the USPTO, Matt joined a small patent law firm in Boston in 1991 and made partner in 1996. Gauthier & Connors recently merged with Boston legal practice Gesmer Updegrove, LLP. (Matt’s in the ND sweater, holding the patent.)

Matt has generously financed two scholarships for our first class of Patent Law students, and has also created a summer internship at his firm for a student from the first class—an essential foot-in-the-door for any legal graduate on the job market. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s even offered to mentor a student’s Capstone project—a real-life patent application.

It’s easy to see why Matt has such a continued interest in the University. He has one child, a daughter, who is currently studying at Notre Dame, and his son will be joining the Freshman class this coming Fall — further proof that the ND spirit and legacy runs deep.

Our great thanks to Matt!

Karen in Karen

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During my trip, I stayed at the Holy Cross formation house, which is quite near CUEA, in a neighborhood called Karen (oh, the irony!). The formation house was mostly empty while I was there, which was technically at the start of the southern hemisphere’s winter (although since Kenya is equatorial, their “cool season” is completely unrelated to what I’d think of as winter in Northern Indiana). Pictured below are the residents of the house for the time that I was there.

 

We’re at a restaurant called Carnivore, which is known for serving exotic meats. We had ostrich and crocodile, and of course some local Tusker beer!

On one Saturday during my visit, my CUEA hosts took me to the Nairobi National Wildlife Park. There’s a wildlife park completely surrounded by the city of Nairobi! It was an amazing experience to visit the park with the Chair of the Biology department – he was able to identify all kinds of birds and animals, and tell me all about their life cycles, and what pressures they’re facing due to encroaching human populations. While we didn’t see any lions or cheetahs in the wild, here are a few exciting photos of wild game that we did see.

I also was privileged to visit the Holy Cross mission in Dandora. Dandora is in the eastern part of Nairobi, and, if it is known in the West, it’s for being the site of a huge trash dump in the middle of a large urban population. I attended a Mass that was said in Swahili, which was beautiful; and the choir was absolutely phenomenal! Fr. Tom didn’t warn me about the incense that was very prominent in the service, and I spent a good portion of the Mass trying not to sneeze!
This trip was my first experience in a developing country. I see now, in a way that I could not conceptualize before, what kinds of challenges the people and stakeholders there face. I am looking forward to continuing to work with and get to know the Holy Cross and CUEA friends I’ve made, and hope that I can enable them to create positive change for the people of Kenya.

Nairobi, Kenya

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I recently returned from a trip to Nairobi, Kenya. While I was there, I met with the Law and Science Faculties of the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA), to talk about their idea of creating a Master’s in Intellectual Property. I also had the opportunity to deliver a series of lectures to faculty and students about US and international patent law.
I am really excited about this collaboration, in no small part because of the enthusiasm of the CUEA folks I met. They see that IP, and patents in particular, are critical to growing their developing economy; and want to figure out how to leverage their ideas in a global marketplace. I am excited to see what the CUEA folks develop, and hopeful that I can be a part of it!
I also got some time to be a tourist. More about that in the next post….

The Dean of the Science Faculty and one of her Department Chairs show off their Notre Dame gear.

 

Twitter Tweaks Patent Process for Sake of Innovation

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Twitter is making plans for a brand new approach for their in-house patent operations, one they say will “keep control in the hands of engineers and designers,” rather than the traditional corporate patent arrangements in which a company holds all rights related to inventions made by it’s employees.

The “Innovator’s Patent Agreement,” or IPA, is a direct response to this traditional process, which Twitter believes can sometimes staunch technological innovation. Understood in the new policy is that Twitter’s patents can only be used for defensive litigation, and offensive litigation is only allowed with the inventor’s permission.

The patent agreement can be publicly viewed on GitHub, and apparently is retroactive, applying to all Twitter’s patents past and present. Not only that—but the stipulations apply to subsequent owners of the patent, if bought or sold.

“Employees can be assured that their patents will be used only as a shield rather than as a weapon,” says Twitter VP of Engineering, Adam Messinger, on their blog.

Twitter’s news has its supporters and detractors, especially since the company is suggesting others adopt the same policy. Critics speculate whether the whole thing is a public relations display—suspicious of why the company would willfully undermine the tremendous value patents have in the tech marketplace.

But PR stunt or not, the truth behind all this is that patents are a hot topic in modern technology, business, and innovation. And Notre Dame can give you the tools and skills necessary for you to get in on it!

Patent Pros Highly Sought After

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How’s this for a start to a recent article in the New York Times:

“Patent lawyers are in such demand that their specialty may account for more than 15 percent of law firm job openings while representing just 3 percent of lawyers in the United States.”

Yes, intellectual property is booming in the U.S., thanks in part to the America Invents Act, which allows for more patents to be applied for and issued.

One of the central hubs for patent careers is in the San Francisco Bay area, where a close proximity to Silicon Valley  the demand for protect all the innovation coming from the myriad tech businesses there. Hip, temperate, and cosmopolitan, with plenty of fine restaurants and endless cultural happenings—not a bad place to start a career…

Interestingly, the article also states that overall hires “among law school graduates continue to weaken… the employment rate among American law school graduates fell 4.7 percent last year” according to the National Association of Law Placement.

Which is another plus for patent professionals, who with the help of a Masters in Patent Law from Notre Dame, need only to pass the patent bar to be able to prepare patent applications and administer cases with the USPTO—all without the time and expense spent at law school.

In keeping with the haute opportunities available to those with a patent background, it seems if the world of law were the world of cuisine, it’s fair to say that patent professionals would be the succulent black truffle mushroom: rare, in great demand, and able to fetch a premium price!

Google / Oracle patent lawsuit at fever pitch

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The Google/Oracle patent lawsuit is a bell-ringer of a bout when it comes to IP and technology. And if you happen to use an Android device, you’re holding Exhibit A in your hot little hand.

The gist of it: Oracle claims Google infringed on two patents related to its Java programming platform. (Remember that coffee cup that always pops up wanting you to update? Turns out, it’s very important.)

Not only does Oracle claim infringement, they say they were willfully infringed upon—that Google knew it was lifting patented technology when building the Android platform. This question of willfulness has a heavy bearing on the amount of reparations should the jury rule in Oracle’s favor.

The nuts and bolts of the case are, in essence, a technical he-said, she-said. Oracle claims Android works like Java, Google says it works differently. If you know your code and programming, you can check out the specifics at Wired.

The spectacle, however, is the courtroom drama and corporate intrigue—Oracle makes its case for “willful” infringement on the fact that one Android engineer worked with Java at Sun Microsystems (which Oracle bought, along with all their patents), and another is listed as co-inventor on one of the patents in contention.

The case also has a bearing on the intellectual protection status of API’s—application programming interfaces—basically, the specifications that allow software to “talk” to each other. The Oracle/Google case could set a precedent on whether API’s are subject to copyright.

And the most recent twist—a juror has been dismissed, leaving just 11 people who are now deliberating on the outcome.