As the Columbia technology transfer experience demonstrates, patents can provide a successful vehicle for generating research funding for university inventions. Unfortunately, many seemingly harmless events occurring after the conception of an invention can jeopardize the right to file for a patent. Jeffrey M. Sears, PhD, Chief Patent Counsel for Columbia University, will present a patent law primer focusing on what you need to know to preserve patent protection for your inventions.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Jeff serves as Columbia’s Chief Patent Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel’s Patent and Licensing Group, where his practice encompasses all aspects of patent law, including portfolio management, strategic counseling, licensing and post-licensing compliance, litigation, and legislative and regulatory patent matters. Jeff holds an S.B. in physics from MIT, an M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from SUNY Stony Brook, and a J.D. from NYU. He is admitted to practice law in New York and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.