On Tuesday March 8th, EPICentre hosted an intellectual property info session to provide students and entrepreneurs with valuable information on intellectual property strategy. Maya Medeiros, a lawyer and patent/trademark agent from the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, presented to over 40 participants about the key considerations of intellectual property strategy from a start up perspective.
Darlene Carreau from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) was also in attendance and spoke briefly about the large number of resources provided by CIPO for startups. Darlene will be returning to EPICentre on April 4th for another info session pertaining to how Intellectual Property offices can assist start-ups with their IP rights.
Maya spoke to a group of eager students and community members about the launch of a new Innovation Law Clinic. This legal program is customized to meet the specialized needs of high-growth technology ventures that operate in complex global markets. As with established corporations, startup ventures need legal support to ensure they comply with regulatory requirements, protect their intellectual property assets and prevent liabilities. Many young start-ups struggle with traditional legal fee structures and put themselves at risk by not seeking legal counsel due to the high cost which is why these IP info sessions are extremely valuable to new businesses.
Maya also spoke extensively about some of the key considerations for start-ups when considering intellectual property strategy and protection. As noted, start-ups tend to ignore some of these legal strategies due to the high cost associated with legal fees. Ultimately, young business owners do, in fact, have a plethora of resources available to them and by working with organizations such as EPICentre and Norton Rose’s Innovation Law Clinic, start-ups now have more options than ever before when considering legal strategy.
You can access Maya’s PowerPoint presentation on IP Strategy here.
Maya Medeiros’ practice focuses on the creation, protection, management, monetization and enforcement of intellectual property assets in Canada, the United States and around the world. Ms. Medeiros works with a variety of organizations from global enterprise businesses to start-ups, growth ventures and not-for-profits. She is proficient in a wide range of technologies, including computer hardware and software, financial and payment system, mathematical, video and image processing, memory management, mobile and wireless, natural language processing, telecommunication, gaming, green, electronic learning, business system, vehicle computing system, healthcare and medical device, wearable and micro-electronic device, cryptography, social and peer to peer networking, energy, building and advertising innovations.
