AV俱乐部

In the mid-2000s, Myra Tawfik 鈥� a law professor and EPICentre professor of IP commercialization and strategy at the University of Windsor 鈥� noticed a push from the Ontario government to increase the number of accelerated entrepreneurship programs for STEM* students on university campuses. The goal? To give innovators the business skills necessary to launch a successful startup.

But Tawfik noticed a key player excluded from this process: law. Who would help these young entrepreneurs navigate the legal issues involved in building a business?

These questions led to Tawfik鈥檚 co-directorship of the Centre for Enterprise and Law (CEL) at the University of Windsor in 2010. CEL split into two ventures in 2013, the based in the Faculty of Business and the based at the Faculty of Law. The two ventures continue to cooperate to provide information and advice to start-ups. In 2014, Tawfik was appointed a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) to continue her work on capacity-building in IP literacy, IP strategy, and access to affordable IP legal services for startups and entrepreneurs.

There鈥檚 a lot of energy here that鈥檚 a bit like a coiled spring. Now it鈥檚 being unleashed. There鈥檚 a lot of work that鈥檚 going to be done this year to push in exactly this direction. - Prof. Robert Currie

Sitting opposite a group of faculty members associated with the Schulich School of Law鈥檚 a few days ago, Tawfik discussed her work at these various centres. She recommended law schools across the country play a more active role in helping students provide IP-based legal services for startups in their communities.

In today鈥檚 鈥渆ntrepreneurial university,鈥� says Tawfik, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a huge push to get students to invent something that鈥檚 going to radically change the world.鈥� But the legal needs of these young entrepreneurs are 鈥� as of right now 鈥� unmet, she says, as firms can be reluctant to take on startups as clients. At their earliest stages, startups are often unable to pay for legal advice, and often need considerable attention, mentoring, and direction that lawyers aren鈥檛 always able to provide.

Through clinics and other experiential programs, says Tawfik, law students can help fill this gap.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a moment now where law schools should be looking more closely at providing more of these skills-based programs, especially in the area of IP. It鈥檚 ironic: we always say Canada has too many lawyers, but, in some respects, we don鈥檛 have enough of some kinds of lawyers. If we are really convinced that we want to compete globally, we鈥檙e going to have to start paying attention to how we deal with intellectual property on the ground.鈥�

IP at AV俱乐部 and Schulich Law

Professor , director of Schulich鈥檚 , says it鈥檚 鈥渆xactly the right moment鈥� for development in this area at AV俱乐部. An IP clinic, he says, is a 鈥渄istinct possibility鈥� for the future.听

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of energy here that鈥檚 a bit like a coiled spring. Now it鈥檚 being unleashed,鈥� says Currie. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work that鈥檚 going to be done this year to push in exactly this direction.鈥�

In addition to reinvigorating AV俱乐部鈥檚 collaborative program, Currie wants to tap into the existing partnership between AV俱乐部's faculties of computer science, management, and law.

鈥淭his kind of partnership is uniquely positioned to begin to build capacity here to engage with startup culture and the monetization of intellectual property,鈥� says Currie. 鈥淗aving Professor Tawfik here to offer advice on what clinical education looks like in this context 鈥� and tell us a few of the pitfalls to avoid 鈥� will be invaluable for us as we move forward.鈥�

Currie hopes continued development will make AV俱乐部 鈥渁 place of interdisciplinary learning and application in this area so industry can come to us as problem solvers, as testers, and as a place to workshop new ideas,鈥� says Currie. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much potential here, it鈥檚 ridiculous.鈥�

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*STEM refers to the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

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