GradProSkills Workshop - Intellectual Property: Introduction and Case Study by Canadian Intellectual Property Office (GPRM252)

This workshop is offered by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, and is delivered by Hugh Mansfield, an experienced Patent and Trade Mark Lawyer. The workshop offers an overview of intellectual property and patent rights, and includes the following case study discussion.

Case Study: John Thomson - How to market an invention

John Thomson is a young entrepreneur and community college graduate. He owns and operates a glass recycling business. He designed a machine — the SuperSorter — that sorts glass by colour before it is crushed and recycled. John's invention will make the glass-sorting process cheaper and increase the profits for his business. John believes the SuperSorter has world-wide market potential and would like to commercialize it. He is seeking advice from the Office of Applied Research of his former college on how best to protect and commercialize the invention.

Topics covered

• Trade secrets versus patents
• Non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements
• Impact of disclosure on patent rights
• Requirements for patent protection
• IP strategy and commercialization options

Sample questions

• Under what circumstances is a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement signed? What are the main elements of such an agreement?
• How should one decide on commercialization options?
• What are the costs and benefits of registering a trade-mark?

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Learning Objectives

In this workshop you will learn:

• Types of Intellectual Property and IP ownerships rights
• Types of patents and trade secrets
• To understand the IP process

Register today!

For the full list of workshops please visit the GradProSkills webpage.