UWaterloo Intellectual Property Workshop Series

Thursday, February 14, 2019 7:30 am - 7:30 am EST (GMT -05:00) Thursday, March 21, 2019 8:30 am - 8:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00) Thursday, April 11, 2019 8:30 am - 8:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00) Thursday, May 16, 2019 8:30 am - 8:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

Series Information:

  • Thursday January 10 - 12:30-2:30 pm – IP 101 and Commercialization 
  • Thursday  February 14 - 12:30-2:00 pm – IP Case Study
  • Thursday  March 21 - 12:30-2:00 pm – Copyright and Software
  • Thursday  April 11 - 12:30-2:00 pm – Trademarks
  • Thursday May 16- 12:30-2:00 pm - What’s next?  Panel Discussion

Events are open to all UW faculty, staff, students and post docs. Registration is required for each event to ensure there is enough Pizza and Pop for all!

Workshop are presented by WatCo and supported by the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB) and the Games Institute at the University of Waterloo.

January 10

12:30-2:30 pm

DC 1304

IP 101 & Commercialization

Speakers: Eric Luvisotto

This session covers the basics of Intellectual Property (IP) protection with a focus on patents.

You'll learn about the different types of IP protection available and some of the most common pitfalls to avoid.

Learn about the resources available to you at the University of Waterloo, including the Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo).

Hear how IP is used to commercialize technology through licensing or start-up creation.

February 14

12:30-2:00 pm

DC 1304

IP Case Study

Speakers: Eric Luvisotto

A case study which explores aspects of how to use the main forms of Intellectual Property (IP) protection to commercialize technology.

This is an interactive case study that allows the participants to experience a realistic situation where they get to see how IP can be applied to protect and commercialize a potentially valuable technology created by a group of university students.

March 21

12:30-2:00 pm

Room E7 2317

Copyright & Software

Speakers: Eric Luvisotto (WatCo), Michael Crinson (Aitken Klee LLP), Lauren Byl (Library)

Did you know that software code is protected by Copyright?

Have you paid someone to write code for you?

If so did you ask them to waive their Moral rights to the code?

Come to the Copyright talk and learn about the different forms of Copyright protection, how to use it to commercialize your technology, and how it may affect you and your software.

April 11

12:30-2:00 pm

DC 1304

Trademarks

Speakers: Eric Luvisotto, Michael Crinson (Aitken Klee LLP)

Did you know that the top five most valuable brands in the world in 2018 are all technology companies?

According to Forbes the most valuable brand in the world in 2018 was Apple (#1) with an estimated value of nearly $183 Billion dollars. By comparison, Coca-Cola's (#6) brand value in 2018 was over $57 Billion.

Come to the Trademark presentation and learn how to use this form of Intellectual Property (IP) protection to build the brand value of your technology or Start-Up.

May 16

12:30-2:00 pm

DC 1304

Panel Discussion

Speakers: Eric Luvisotto and a panel of Watco clients:

  • Suzanne Kearns, Associate Professor, Geography and Environmental Management
  • Michael Pope, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering
  • Karim Karim, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering; CTO, KA Imaging

You’ve got your research, now what?

What are some of the on-campus resources or connections to help you take your research, product, technology or idea to the next stage?  Come listen to a few of WatCo’s clients to will share their experiences from research to market.

About our speakers:

Eric Luvisotto (WatCo) is a registered Canadian Patent Agent (2003) and has earned his Master’s (1998) and Bachelor’s (1995) degrees in Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Eric has many years of experience in the field of Intellectual Property (IP), having dedicated his career to IP in 1999. His career spans a wide variety of experiences, including working for two Canadian IP law firms, founding and running his own Start-Up company, and working “in-house” for a large automotive parts manufacturer.

In 2008, Eric accepted the position of Technology Transfer Officer with the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo). In this role he analyzes new ideas for patentability and commercial potential; he also seeks out potential receptors of these new technologies and negotiates licensing agreements with them.  He is also involved with the creation of Start-Up companies if the technology merits this pathway.

Eric has been a popular guest lecturer on Intellectual Property, having created several IP presentations for faculty and students at the University of Waterloo including: “IP 101”, “IP Case Study”, “Copyright” and “Trademarks”. He also routinely gives talks to various UW groups (including New Faculty, Post Doc’s, Grad Students, Optometry, etc.) on WatCo’s services, UW’s IP policy and IP in general.

Eric is a member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and is a member of their Bank of Speakers.

He is also a long standing member of the Licensing Executives Society, and past member of the Association of University Technology Managers.

Michael Crinson (Aitken Klee LLP) is one of Canada’s most experienced intellectual property law trial counsel and is recognized for his creative thinking to achieve optimal results and solutions to legal problems for his clients. Michael’s clients range from multinational corporations to start-ups, and from individuals to not-for-profit organizations. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Michael obtained a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry, and an M.Sc. in Biophysics.

Michael has been counsel on five separate trials in the past decade and has been counsel on numerous other contentious IP matters including patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and ownership and inventorship disputes. Michael has appeared as both trial and appellate counsel before the Federal, Ontario and Alberta courts in a variety of proceedings often in parallel with proceedings in jurisdictions including the United States, Europe, Australia and China.

In addition to being a lawyer, Michael is a qualified patent and trademark agent. He has been recognized for several years in Best Lawyers in Canada, the Legal 500 and the IAM Patent 1000. Most recently, Michael was named the IP Litigator of the Year (2017) in Ontario, and his Firm, Aitken Klee LLP was recognized as the Best IP Litigation Firm in Canada.

Lauren Byl (UW Library)is the Copyright & Licensing Librarian for the University of Waterloo. Lauren is available to help with all kinds of copyright and licensing concerns, including assistance with finding usage rights, understanding the Copyright Act as it applies to teaching, and helping you understand your rights throughout the publishing process.