The training will cover some brief background, but will otherwise focus on practical advice for in-house attorneys, administrators, and even inventors themselves at educational institutions. The presentation will highlight the discussion with real-life examples that Reed Smith sees from its clients in higher education to demonstrate how to employ these best practices.

Topics:

• Overview of patents and trademarks
• Identifying patentable discoveries
• Key information to include in an invention disclosure
• Inventorship – it’s not authorship
• Educating Faculty on Disclosure Issues
• Brand awareness
• The importance of clearing new trademarks
• Special considerations for protecting acronyms (e.g. “BSU” for “Big State University”)
• Best practices for monitoring and enforcing trademark rights