IP Innovation Clinic

The IP Innovation Clinic is a needs-based innovation-to-society intellectual property (IP) legal clinic operated in collaboration with Innovation York and supervising law firms Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Bereskin & Parr LLP and OWN Innovation. The Clinic is staffed by student volunteers (called “Clinic Fellows”) from Osgoode Hall Law School who are supervised by lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Bereskin & Parr LLP and OWN Innovation.

Image of a hand holding a black pen signing a contract document

Under the guidance and mentorship of the supervising lawyers, Clinic Fellows provide one-to-one legal information services to inventors, entrepreneurs, and start-up companies to assist with the innovation and commercialization processes. Through this hands-on practical experience, Clinic Fellows learn about common early-stage IP and business issues facing actors in the innovation ecosystem.

Clients

The IP Innovation Clinic serves a diverse range of innovators across various industries and welcomes clients from across Southern Ontario from within and outside the York University community. Our clients are individuals or start-up companies who do not have the resources to hire a lawyer, patent agent, or other advisors.

Services

The IP Innovation Clinic operates year-round and offers various forms of IP and commercialization assistance. Our team creates tailored work plans for each client based on their needs and stage of business development. During the consultation intake call, the supervising lawyer and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow will work with the client to determine an agreed upon work plan. The work of our Clinic Fellows is pro bono aside from a $50 administrative fee.

The IP Innovation Clinic services may include IP consultations, preliminary freedom-to-operate information, and IP clearance search work in the following areas:

  • Reviewing basic issues in business transactions involving intellectual property,

  • Patent searches and prior art searches,

  • Trademark searches,

  • Agreement review (Internal, Contractor, License, etc.),

  • Application drafting and/or review,

  • Other tasks as assigned and supervised by the supervising lawyer.

 Getting Started

Access the Innovation Clinic Chatbot to start a general conversation

Become a client: read more here

Program FAQs