This two-day, interactive, instructor-led workshop was attended by Rimon’s Senior Scientist Allison Brown from April 27-28^th, 2006 at the Toronto offices of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG).  The course was hosted by the Biotechnology Human Resource Council (BHRC), Canada’s leading source for human resource information and biotechnology skills development.  Facilitated by Patent Agents from BLG, the workshop provided attendees with an overview and “how-to” framework for patent protection in Canada and abroad.  For Allison, the course provided a valuable foundation for future involvement in Rimon’s IP strategies. 

Five valuable things that she took away from the course were:

1.  The importance of developing a strong Intellectual Property Strategy within an innovative, start-up company such as Rimon;

2.  An understanding of the criteria that determines what can be patented in the context of the Biotechnology/Life Sciences Industry;

3.  A thorough understanding of the patent granting life cycle and the role of the patent agent or attorney during the various stages of the patenting process;

4.  Effective techniques and available resources for performing prior-art searches;

5. Knowledge of the components, functions, and rules of the Patent Application. This included hands-on experience writing descriptions and claims for sample inventions.