IP Osgoode, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP are participating in the 2017 Accessibility Innovation Showcase‘s Ask the Expert program on Sept. 25 and 26 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen St. W. (at Bay Street). Members of the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic will provide pro bono, one-to-one, intellectual property (IP) support to the creators of emerging accessibility and assistive device technologies.
An official event of the Invictus Games 2017, the 2017 Accessibility Innovation Showcase is organized by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Research, Innovation & Science, and Ministry of Economic Development & Growth; the showcase will highlight promising accessibility technologies and assistive devices to investors, local and international dignitaries, government representatives and the general public.
Giuseppina D’Agostino
IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP staff, including IP Osgoode 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 Norton Rose Fulbright LLP and the International Law Research Program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation – an independent, non-partisan international governance think tank based in Waterloo, Ontario – 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, York 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,” said 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 Invictus 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,” said 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,” said 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, York University’s Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and Innovation York.
More about the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic
Founded and directed by D’Agostino in 2010, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is a needs-based, innovation-to-market legal clinic operated in collaboration with Innovation York 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 more than 80 Osgoode law students and served over 100 companies in the areas of IP and technology law.