FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018
Contact: Leah C. Payne, Director of Communications, 304-696-7153

Marshall’s Technology Transfer Office to present intellectual property seminar

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University Technology Transfer Office (TTO) will present two free seminars on Friday, Sept. 14, to educate both members of the university community and the general public interested in commercialization of products.

The first session is scheduled from 9 until 11 a.m. in the Harless Auditorium at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine on the campus of Cabell Huntington Hospital and the second will be held at the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing in Huntington from 2 to 4 p.m.

Each program will begin with an overview of the main areas of intellectual property law (patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright) and will continue with a focus specifically on the various types of patent protection. The program will cover not only the statutory requirements for obtaining a patent, but also will include discussions about university ownership of inventions; the differences between a patent application and a technical publication; the differences between inventorship and authorship; issues to consider to preserve patent rights in an academic setting; and determining if an invention is ready for patenting.  The morning program will include discussions on medical devices and applications and pharmaceuticals.  The afternoon program will include discussions on 3-D printed designs and other manufactured goods.

The sessions will be led by attorney Terry Wright of the firm Stites & Harbison PLLC in Louisville, Kentucky. Wright has extensive experience advising clients ranging from small, privately held companies to multi-national, publicly traded companies. He regularly prepares protection plans for intellectual property associated with consumer goods, medical and other mechanical devices, and life sciences-associated technologies.

Wright has a background in life sciences and experience with academic research in the areas of cardiovascular biology, molecular and cellular biology, pharmacology and biotechnology. He counsels companies and university technology transfer/licensing offices regarding strategies for protecting patent‐based intellectual property.

The seminars are free, but reservations are requested. Please send reservations to tto@marshall.edu.

For more information, contact Marshall University Technology Transfer Office’s assistant director, Amy Melton, at 304-696-4365.

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Date Posted: Tuesday, September 11, 2018