Hands-on experience is available through two clinics offered in conjunction with the University of Virginia Patent Foundation. The first clinic involves practical training in patent drafting as well as the negotiation and drafting of patent and software license agreements. Students are assigned to one or more significant drafting and counseling projects and work in the office of the University of Virginia Patent Foundation one day per week.
Clinic participants may evaluate inventions and computer software for patentability and commercial value; counsel UVA faculty inventors regarding patentability, inventorship and the patenting process; prepare, file and prosecute provisional U.S. patent applications; deal with patent examiners and research current issues in the fields of intellectual property and technology transfer.
In a second clinic, the student may work exclusively with patent attorneys drafting, filing and prosecuting patent applications. Alternatively, the student may choose to work exclusively with licensing agents to draft license agreements, negotiate terms and conditions, and prepare confidentiality agreements and marketing documents.
Recent projects include:
• A patent application for a class of metals capable of recovering their original shape and thickness after impact or crushing
• Converting a provisional patent application on technology designed by a pharmacology professor that may halt the spread of cancerous cells
• A brief on pharmaceutical patents in developing countries
• A patent application for a battery-operated, handheld imaging device that promises to perform better than most ultrasound instruments
• Prior art search and a draft patent application for a novel seatbelt-control system
• Prior art review, market research and marketing for a neuro-stimulation technique for the treatment of epilepsy
Program |
Courses | Patent & Licensing
Clinics
Faculty | Student
Organizations