September 2023

Over the years, McCoy Russell has supported various internships and exchanges with foreign law firm partners. These initiatives aim to broaden legal horizons, foster global connections, and enhance professional development for aspiring lawyers.

McCoy Russell’s exchange and internship programs provides opportunities allowing participants to gain practical experience in a different patent legal system, understand diverse cultural perspectives, and continue developing the skills for career advancement. This hands-on experience helps them develop a deeper understanding of international law, cross-border interactions, and global legal issues.

Moreover, these programs offer participants the chance to immerse themselves in a different culture, fostering personal growth and broadening their worldview. By living and working in a foreign country, interns and exchange participants gain a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity, adaptability, and intercultural communication skills – all of which are essential in today’s interconnected legal landscape.

The benefits of these internships and exchanges extend beyond the individual participants. McCoy Russell recognizes that by investing in these programs, strengthens international legal cooperation and promotes a harmonized approach to legal practice. McCoy Russell is proud to support internship and exchange programs with foreign law firm partners to open doors to educational and culturally enriching opportunities.

McCoy Russell has substantial experience in supporting various start-ups spun-out from academic institutions and universities. Our experience and strategic approach considers the full technology life cycle. In this post, we provide valuable insights into intellectual property and shed light on effective IP strategies for those interested in forming a startup based on our experience over the years.

Startups are often born out of groundbreaking research and innovative ideas. To maximize the value of their IP assets, academic researchers-turned-entrepreneurs should consider the following strategies:

Prioritize IP Protection: Startups should proactively identify their core IP assets and seek appropriate protection. This may involve filing patents, trademarks, or copyrights, depending on the nature of their innovation. Adequate IP protection strengthens a startup’s competitive advantage, enhances its market position, and helps to secure funding.

Conduct Thorough IP Due Diligence: Before launching a startup, it is crucial to conduct comprehensive IP due diligence. This involves assessing the IP landscape to identify potential conflicts, infringement risks, or prior art that may impact the startup’s ability to protect its IP and its freedom to operate. Conducting due diligence early on can help avoid costly legal disputes down the road.

Develop a Robust IP Strategy: Startups should develop a comprehensive IP strategy aligned with their business goals. This includes identifying potential licensing opportunities, monitoring competitors’ IP activities, and establishing internal processes to ensure ongoing IP protection and management.

Leveraging the University-Venture Capitalist Relationship: The University-Venture Capitalist relationship is built on the foundation of shared goals and complementary expertise. VC funding may provide the necessary funding to develop and commercialize IP, bridging the gap between academia and the market. Additionally, they bring valuable expertise in business development, marketing, and scaling, ensuring the IP’s successful transition from the lab to the marketplace.

By understanding the value of IP protection and implementing effective IP strategies, researchers can maximize the value of their innovations that can transition to startups that secure a competitive edge in the market. Stay tuned for the next post in this series that will discuss common mistakes start-up teams make with intellectual property.

Transitioning from academic research to entrepreneurship requires careful consideration of intellectual property rights. Seeking guidance from IP professionals and legal experts can provide invaluable support throughout this journey, ensuring a smooth transition and long-term success. Contact McCoy Russell if you think we can be of assistance.

In the midst of this digital revolution, protecting novel innovations and nurturing future technologies have become paramount for companies and inventors alike. The advent of AI-driven algorithms, neural networks, and autonomous systems is re-defining industries ranging from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment. However, the journey towards these innovations is not without its challenges, and one of the foremost concerns is protecting the invaluable intellectual property that fuels these innovations.

McCoy Russell has a specialty practice as to protection of AI and machine learning inventions. This specialty practice includes team members who have extensive practice drafting, prosecuting and protecting deep learning inventions. The dynamic nature of AI/ML technologies demands a thorough understanding of how these innovations function and their potential implications across various sectors. The practice leverages the firm’s technical specialists’ backgrounds and experience.

McCoy Russell’s AI and machine learning work extends across a number of broad industries. Drafting and coordinated strategies have been prepared for coverage of developments related to deep learning, neural networks, convolutional networks, network training, adaptive learning, and mapping across a range of fields including image processing, speech processing, automatic controls, diagnostics, machine vision, robotics, virtual reality, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), medical data analysis, and other big data analytics, including insurance claim analysis.

Software applications have notoriously faced challenges at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office due to Alice 101 rejections. McCoy Russell has developed and utilizes a highly successful approach which integrates searching, drafting and prosecution to be successful in overcoming Alice rejections and securing protections for such innovations. Please contact us if we can be of help to you.

In the rapidly evolving technological landscape, academic and research institutions play a crucial role in driving innovation and advancing knowledge. Universities, research institutions, and businesses are at the forefront of this innovation, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. In anticipation for the upcoming AUTM Regional Meeting, McCoy Russell explores the functions, strengths, and the benefits of collaborative approaches to support technology transfer offices (TTOs) in safeguarding intellectual property.

TTOs serve as the bridge between academia and industry, facilitating the commercialization of innovative research and inventions. Their primary responsibility is to protect and manage the intellectual property generated within academic and research institutions. This involves identifying patentable inventions, filing patent applications, negotiating licensing agreements, securing funding and grants, and supporting the transfer of technology to the marketplace.

The strengths of these offices are their expertise, often consisting of professionals well-versed in IP law, business development, and technology transfer. Their expertise ensures that IP is adequately protected and commercialized.

However, with everything on their plates and limited resources, TTO’s can strategically partner with intellectual property firms and other Professionals to efficiently support innovators and entrepreneurs within the institution. Partnering with an external intellectual property firm can provide TTO’s and their innovators with extended technical expertise, resource management, and strategic planning to enable cost effective patent services to maximize the value and impact for the institution.

Further, collaborating with intellectual property firms and other industry professionals, TTO’s can form strategic partnerships. That is, partnerships that not only address legal protection and enforcement support, but that also provide networking opportunities connecting industry professionals with potential partners, suppliers, and customers within the academic and research ecosystem.

McCoy Russell recognizes that collaboration between TTOs, IP firms, and other industry professionals forms a dynamic ecosystem that fosters innovation, drives economic growth, and protects intellectual property. The firm will be present at the upcoming AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) Western Region Meeting later this month connecting with new and familiar faces, collaborating with TTO’s and other industry professionals helps ensure that innovative research and inventions are protected and successfully commercialized. Together, we can foster a thriving ecosystem of innovation.

McCoy Russell understands the importance of regularly reviewing and updating a business’s IP portfolio and related strategy. Intellectual property assets are constantly evolving, and it is advantageous to ensure that your portfolio remains aligned with your evolving business goals and technological advancements.

By regularly reviewing your IP portfolio, you can identify any gaps or areas that may need additional protection. This proactive approach allows you to address any potential vulnerabilities before they become a problem. It also ensures that your portfolio provides comprehensive protection for your valuable intellectual property assets.

Technological advancements play a significant role in today’s business landscape. New technologies emerge, and existing ones evolve at a rapid pace. By staying up-to-date with these advancements, you can identify opportunities to enhance your IP portfolio. This may include filing new patent applications to protect innovative products or processes, or modify claims of pending applications to cover improvements or modifications.

Furthermore, reviewing and updating your IP portfolio allows you to align it with your evolving business goals. As your business expands into new markets or introduces new products or services, your IP strategy needs to adapt accordingly. By regularly assessing your portfolio, you can ensure that it supports your business objectives and provides the necessary protection in the areas that matter most to your company.

In addition to protecting your intellectual property assets, regularly reviewing and updating your portfolio and strategy can also have financial benefits. By identifying and addressing any gaps or weaknesses, you can avoid continuing with annuities or maintenance fees of applications no longer core to the business and for which infringement by competitors is unlikely or irrelevant to the business. It also allows you to optimize your IP strategy, ensuring that you are not wasting resources on unnecessary or ineffective protection.

To effectively review and update your IP portfolio, it is advisable to seek the assistance of an experienced intellectual property law firm. They can provide valuable insights and guidance, helping you identify areas that may need attention and suggesting strategies to enhance your portfolio’s protection.

McCoy Russell has the experience and expertise to provide the necessary guidance to ensure that your portfolio remains aligned with your evolving business goals and technological advancements. The firm is dedicated to providing comprehensive and tailored solutions for intellectual property needs. McCoy Russell’s expertise in IP law, combined with the understanding of the ever-changing business landscape, allows the firm to assist business’s in regularly reviewing and updating your IP portfolio effectively.

Focused on the prosecution and development of patent and trademark portfolios, McCoy Russell shares first steps that every business, whether budding or established, can take to secure their intellectual property.

The foundation of robust IP protection lies in the clarity and precision of your ideas. Begin by meticulously documenting your innovations, inventions, and creative expressions. This can range from sketches and prototypes to written descriptions and code snippets. Comprehensive records serve as your armor, should the need for legal validation arise.

Why Documenting Your Ideas Matters
Documentation serves as the first line of defense and validation. When an idea crystallizes in your mind, it is crucial to capture it in its nascent form. Detailed documentation, including sketches, diagrams, design plans, technical specifications, and written descriptions, not only immortalizes your vision but also provides substantial evidence of your innovation’s origin.

The Power of Comprehensive Records
Comprehensive Records serve as a testament to the uniqueness of your invention or creation, which is pivotal in establishing ownership rights. In cases of disputes or challenges, thorough documentation becomes a shield that protects your intellectual property rights by show casing the evolution of your idea.

Creating a Trail of Evidence
Picture this: A few years down the line, your innovation has taken the market by storm. Yet, an unscrupulous entity claims that your creation is, in fact, their brainchild. This is where your meticulously documented journey comes to the rescue. From initial concept sketches to brainstorming sessions, every step is a breadcrumb trail of your creative endeavor.

Documentation and Idea Mapping creates a roadmap for developing your IP portfolio further. McCoy Russell’s portfolio-based approach drives other aspects of portfolio development beyond patent drafting and prosecution, including landscape reviews, targeted brainstorming, and searching.

Request a copy of McCoy Russell’s IP Checklist by emailing [email protected] and start developing your brand’s rights and intellectual property portfolio.