O'Connor, Sean, JD, MA

Many of the biomedical researchers who gravitate towards academic and nonprofit labs do so because profit and commercialization of their research are not high priorities for them. At the same time, patents and other forms of intellectual property (IP) are often seen as a sine qua non of commercial aspirations, and thus better left to those with such aspirations. However, from Bayh-Dole invention disclosure requirements of federal funding to legal restrictions on the use of certain materials or research tools, IP is a central part of the modern research lab. Thus, researchers need to understand the basics of both “offensive” and “defensive” IP issues, as well as closely related doctrines such as assignments of rights, confidentiality agreements (NDAs or CDAs), material transfer agreements (MTAs). Professor O’Connor will present the basics of IP and related issues as they apply in the academic biomedical research lab.

Questions to Think About in Preparation for Mr. O’Connor’s Lecture:
• How do notions of data "ownership" differ for academic and commercial research settings? In what ways might such differences matter to the work of an academic research lab?
• Does patent protection promote or impede the conduct of scientific research? Does patent protection increase the likelihood of public benefit deriving from research?
• If you don't like the idea of patenting scientific discoveries, does this mean that you can safely ignore it in the conduct of your research? Why or why not?

Required Reading (prior to lecture):
Kesselheim AS & Avorn J (2005). University-Based Science and Biotechnology Products: Defining the Boundaries of Intellectual Property. JAMA, 293(7): 850-854.


REFRESHMENTS 11:30am - 11:55am

**Lecture will also be repeated May 21st, 2-3pm in Pelton Auditorium at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center**

CATALYST EVALUATION: https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/mmitchel/77853