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Advanced Topics in Patent Law with Morrison Foerster and Harvard Griffin GSAS Biotech Club

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Join our comprehensive five-week virtual course, specifically crafted for students, post-docs, entrepreneurs, and investors with...

Join our comprehensive five-week virtual course, specifically crafted for students, post-docs, entrepreneurs, and investors with a focus on life sciences. This class will take you through a hypothetical case study of a post-doc who develops a new technique that she realizes could revolutionize the development of new biologics. MoFo professionals will guide the post-doc through forming a company, licensing the technology out of the university and developing an IP strategy to protect the new inventions.<h4>Who Should Attend?</h4><ul><li>Students and post-docs seeking to deepen their understanding of patent law in life sciences.</li><li>Entrepreneurs and investors aiming to enhance their IP strategy knowledge.</li><li>Patent practitioners looking for a detailed refresher on patenting life sciences innovations.</li></ul><h4>What You Will Gain</h4><ul><li>Hands-On Knowledge: Acquire practical insights into life sciences patent law essential for scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.</li><li>Avoid Common Pitfalls: Learn strategies to prevent frequent mistakes that could have significant implications for your innovations.</li></ul>Attendees will be required to attend at least 80% of the online course, and the first session is mandatory to set the foundation for our program. Attendees who participate in at least four sessions will receive a Certificate of Completion. <h4>Course Schedule</h4>MoFo’s Patent Law Course kicks off on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, and will take place every Wednesday through June 11, 2025, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT). <ul><li>Session 1 – Case Study Introduction & Formation and Licensing Issues for Start-Ups – Jillian Pesin-Fulop, Jae Zhou, Matthew Blum</li><li>Session 2 – Patent Strategies for AI Discovery – Cooper Spinelli, Joshua Crawford, Anna Yuan</li><li>Session 3 – IP Strategies for Biologics – Meghan Poon</li><li>Session 4 – Patent Strategies for Medical Devices, Personalized Medicine, and Diagnostics – Christopher Gloria, Karen Potter</li><li>Session 5 – IP Due Diligence – Janet Xiao</li></ul>You can use the Zoom link provided in your confirmation email to join all the sessions.<hr>

Advanced Topics in Patent Law with Morrison Foerster and Harvard Griffin GSAS Biotech Club

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Jillian brings over a decade of experience in patent prosecution and strategy to her practice. Her practice focuses on patent preparation and prosecution, patent portfolio management, and patent due diligence for life sciences and biotech companies in a wide array of fields, including biologics, pharmaceuticals, cell therapy, cancer therapeutics, personalized medicine, neurodegenerative disease, biofuels, and agricultural biotechnology. She has experience developing and managing U.S. and worldwide patent portfolios, developing global patent strategies, performing due diligence analyses, filing Patent Term Extension applications, and providing strategic advice to align patent strategy with business goals. Jillian also assists clients in technology transaction matters, including licenses and collaborations for development and commercialization.Dr. Pesin-Fulop received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she received the Law and Technology Certificate and earned the Jurisprudence Award in copyright law. Before attending law school, Dr. Pesin-Fulop was a scientific analyst and patent agent with the firm.Dr. Pesin-Fulop received her Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She graduated magna cum laude from Williams College with a B.A. in biology and Russian and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Jillian Pesin-Fulop

Of Counsel

Jae Zou is a partner in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice. She advises emerging technology companies in all stages of the startup lifecycle, from formation to exit, and provides strategic advice to founders and investors in connection with complex transactions and other corporate issues.Jae was born in Shanghai and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Jae Zhou

Partner

Matt Blum is an associate in the Technology Transactions Group, where he represents and advises clients on a wide range of business transactions and other matters relating to development or use of technology and products and services across various sectors, including software, hardware, and information technology services; life sciences, including healthcare, medical device, and pharmaceuticals; manufacturing, distribution, and supply; energy; and government and defense.Matt has worked with individual clients and public, private, and government entities of all sizes on various technology and intellectual property matters and related business transactions, including technology and research development, technology and products manufacturing, software licensing and as-a-service platforms and other offerings, technology outsourcing, and numerous other matters involving the licensing or subscription, procurement, sale, or other commercialization of intellectual property and technology products and services, and the use of such things in commercial business and government-related applications. Matt also counsels clients on related matters involving information security, and he regularly works with clients on intellectual property and information technology matters as part of technology-related litigation and corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions as well as private equity and venture capital financing.Prior to going into private practice, Matt was an associate business officer and in-house legal counsel at a global enterprise software company, where he advised the company’s business, sales, and professional services teams on government and commercial software licensing and cloud services transactions, including product and service pricing, government and commercial resale and teaming engagements, and overall deal strategy, legal risk, and revenue recognition matters. During law school, he also gained experience in administrative law matters as a legal intern at the First District Legal Office of the United States Coast Guard and as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert W. Gardner, Jr. of the Massachusetts Trial Court, District Court Department, where he was involved with a number of criminal, civil, housing, mental health, and other types of cases.Matt has extensive experience as an accomplished United States Army officer and active-duty veteran, having served as a military intelligence officer with the 1st Infantry Division, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater), and U.S./NATO special operations task force components, including assignments in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Germany, and the United States. He currently serves as a military intelligence officer in the United States Army Reserve.Matt earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School. During this time, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Suffolk Journal of Trial & Appellate Advocacy, a staff member of the Moot Court Honor Board, an officer and member of the Suffolk Law Armed Services Association, and a founding officer of the National Security Law Association. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, with a minor in law, policy, and society, from Northeastern University.Matt is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. He also is a member of the Boston Bar Association.

Matthew Blum

Associate

Cooper Spinelli is a member of the Litigation Department and part of the firm’s Employment & Labor Group. His practice focuses on trade secrets and restrictive covenants, employee mobility and executive disputes, whistleblower claims, and general business litigation.Cooper has represented clients in both affirmative and defensive trade secret misappropriation and employee mobility cases, including cases involving related IP issues. Cooper has, for example, represented a Fortune 50 company in prosecuting an employee-raiding and computer-fraud case against former high-level executives and managers, resulting in a favorable settlement. Cooper also defended a North American provider of IT solutions and services in a series of putative trade secret and employee mobility cases, helping oversee defensive and affirmative litigation across multiple state and federal jurisdictions. And on behalf of a leading multi-cloud security and application management company, Cooper is defending and has helped secure an initial dismissal of a 12-defendant, 26-cause-of-action case in federal court concerning claims of copyright infringement, fraud, and tortious interference based on alleged conduct in Russia and California.In addition, Cooper has represented companies in highly sensitive matters involving involuntary and negotiated departures of chief executive and other senior officers.Cooper also regularly advises innovative startup companies on a range of employment matters, including restrictive covenant and employee mobility issues, at various stages of their lifecycle.Cooper has also contributed to papers and leading treatises addressing trade secrets, employee mobility, and other related issues, including chapters for leading BNA treatises Trade Secrets: A State-by-State Survey, Covenants Not to Compete, Employee Duty of Loyalty, and Tortious Interference in the Employment Context.Before joining the firm, Cooper was an employment and litigation associate at an AmLaw 100 law firm. Before that, he clerked for the Hon. Steven B. Berlin at the Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges in San Francisco.Cooper received his J.D. magna cum laude from American University Washington College of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. During law school, Cooper was a senior editor on the executive board for the Administrative Law Review, the official law journal of the American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice.Cooper received a B.A. with distinction from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cooper Spinelli

Josh Crawford's practice focuses on domestic patent prosecution, international patent portfolio management, patent infringement and validity determinations, inter partes review proceedings, and IP litigation support.Josh has experience drafting and prosecuting patents in numerous technology areas, including network security, cloud computing, machine learning, computer vision, medical devices, laboratory and assay equipment, microfluidics devices, bioinformatics, user interfaces, and consumer electronics.In addition to patent prosecution, Josh’s practice includes preparing petitions and responses in inter partes review proceedings, as well as preparing invalidity and non-infringement positions in district court litigations.  In adversarial proceedings, Josh has worked on matters concerning network security systems, GPS technology, medical devices, and integrated circuit technologies.Josh received his J.D. with highest honors from The George Washington University Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and received the Presidential Merit Scholarship and Bobby Burchfield Scholarship. During law school, he worked at Morrison & Foerster as a summer associate and as a law clerk.Before law school, Josh received his B.S. in physics with high honors from the University of Maryland. During his undergraduate studies, he worked with the Joint Quantum Institute performing optics research, including designing and constructing an optical cavity for use in cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments.Josh is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and Virginia and is registered to practice before the USPTO.

Joshua Crawford

Anna Yuan’s practice focuses on patent prosecution, IP due diligence, post-grant proceedings, and IP litigation support. She has been recognized as one of the “Ones to Watch” in America by Best Lawyer and a Rising Star in Intellectual Property by Americas Women in Business Law. Anna is the co-founder and co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences + AI patent practice. She leverages her experience in software development and product design gained as a product manager at Microsoft to build valuable patent portfolios covering highly complex technologies to maximize their commercial value. Anna’s practice spans a wide array of technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, blockchain, robotics, electronic devices, data analytics, virtual reality, wireless communications, network security, medical devices, diagnostics, health care, and genomics. She has developed and managed clients’ core portfolios in the United States, China, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Australia. Anna’s clients include emerging companies, multinational corporations, and universities.Anna received her J.D. from Harvard Law School. During law school, she served as an executive editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and co-founded the Harvard China Law Association. She was also active in clinical and pro bono programs such as the Cyberlaw Clinic based at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and the Harvard Mediation Program.She received her B.S. summa cum laude in computer engineering from Louisiana State University, with minors in computer science and mathematics. Prior to attending law school, Anna worked as a program manager at Microsoft in the Windows Division. At Microsoft, she led projects relating to software user interface design, software reliability, and software privacy compliance. She has also worked as a facilities engineer at Chevron and as a software developer at Halliburton.She is admitted to practice in California and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Anna is a fluent Chinese speaker and regularly counsels Chinese clients in Silicon Valley and abroad.

Anna Yuan

Dr. Meghan Poon counsels clients on patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio strategy, and IP due diligence in the areas of biotechnology and biologics. She has significant experience in diverse technologies including antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, diagnostics, and gene-edited plants. She represents clients ranging from large international pharmaceutical companies to midsized companies, startups, and universities.Meghan has filed numerous Patent Term Extension applications to secure additional term for her clients’ patents, which cover FDA-approved products. In addition, Meghan has extensive experience addressing complex obviousness-double patenting and subject matter eligibility issues impacting her clients’ patent portfolios. Meghan also represents clients in both investor-side and target-side due diligence, in deals from seed funding to initial public offerings.Prior to law school, Meghan attended graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a Ph.D. in biological chemistry based on her work on protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions at a molecular level. Meghan is the author of several scientific publications and has presented her research at international conferences.Meghan received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School and spent a year as a visiting student at Santa Clara University, where she focused on intellectual property.

Meghan Poon

Christopher Gloria is a partner in the firm’s Patent Group. Mr. Gloria’s practice concentrates on domestic and international patent prosecution, IP due diligence, and IP litigation support including patent infringement and validity determinations.Mr. Gloria has drafted and prosecuted patents in numerous technology areas including medical devices, user interfaces, autonomous devices, image analysis, machine learning, and consumer products. Before attending law school, Mr. Gloria worked as an engineer in the semiconductor and aerospace industries.Mr. Gloria received his J.D. with highest honors from The George Washington University Law School where he was a member of The George Washington Law Review, a George Washington Scholar, and a Presidential Merit Scholarship recipient. He received his M.S. and B.S. in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas. He was previously a summer associate at the firm.Mr. Gloria is registered to practice before the Patent and Trademark Office and is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Christopher Gloria

Karen Potter is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Life Sciences Patent group. Her practice focuses on patent preparation, prosecution, and strategic counseling for start‑up, emerging, and established life sciences and biotechnology companies. She advises clients in the development and management of comprehensive patent portfolios that match their scientific and business objectives. Karen also helps identify and evaluate patentability, ensure freedom to operate, and perform due diligence review of patent portfolios for clients, including investor-side and target-side due diligence.Building on her technical expertise in cellular and molecular biology and immunology, Karen has experience managing and developing patent portfolios in the areas of cell and gene therapies, including T-cell therapies, Natural Killer cell-based therapies, stem cell therapies and gene-based therapies; protein therapeutics such as immunotherapies, including antibody and protein-based therapies; virus therapies; companion diagnostics; and diagnostic assays and bioassays.Karen has 18 years of experience in global patent portfolio development and strategy. She works closely with clients to counsel them on all matters of patent strategy and prosecution and is adept at quickly understanding complex technologies to implement patent filing strategies. She manages and mentors a team of scientific analysts, patent agents, and associates in establishing and building life sciences patent portfolios. Representative clients include Alpine Immune Sciences, Applied Biomedical Science Institute, Aspen Neuroscience, Bristol Myers Squibb and its subsidiaries Juno Therapeutics and Celgene, Indapta Therapeutics, Inhibrx, Rakuten Medical, Sana Biotechnology, Tune Therapeutics, and Turnstone Biologics.Before entering the patent field, Karen was a postdoctoral fellow at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, Department of Molecular Immunology, in the laboratory of Dr. Carl F. Ware. During her doctorate studies, she worked in the laboratory of the late Dr. Jo Rae Wright who served as an invaluable mentor and supporter. The results of her research have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and she has presented her results at national scientific meetings.She received her J.D. from California Western School of Law, Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from Duke University, and B.S. in molecular biology from the University of California, San Diego. Karen has been recognized for her achievements as a patent attorney including recognition by the Legal 500 US.

Karen Potter

Janet focuses her practice on worldwide patent procurement, patent portfolio management, and strategic planning for life sciences companies. Janet’s clients range from large multinational biopharmaceutical companies, such as Celgene and Genentech, to emerging startup companies around the world. She advises her clients on patent matters relating to various technologies, including antibody therapeutics, cell therapeutics, nanomedicine, gene therapy, drug delivery systems, diagnostics, and nutraceuticals.Recognized by Chambers as being highly sought after for patent prosecution and strategy mandates by innovators from around the world, Janet develops and strengthens her clients’ complex patent portfolios to maximize their commercial value. She is instrumental in developing strategies for multibillion-dollar patent portfolios for pharmaceutical clients. As impressed clients noted to Chambers, “Janet’s work is thorough, polished and always of the highest caliber. She is well equipped to advise international clients on patent prosecution and strategy in the biotech industry, drawing on substantial technical knowledge.”Janet works extensively in performing IP due diligence reviews in the contexts of VC investments, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and marketing and manufacturing clearance for biopharmaceutical products. She helps some of the world’s most-sophisticated biopharmaceutical companies and investors assess potential risks and devise preemptive risk-management strategies for their product development and investments. She has led hundreds of IP due diligence projects, and is noted for her in-depth knowledge of patent landscapes in the fields of cancer immunotherapy, gene editing, next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, antibody manufacturing, and medical devices. Janet works regularly with patent litigators in the event of legal challenges by third-party competitors or vice versa, and she is frequently called upon to represent clients in litigation and post-grant proceedings.Janet is the Head of firm’s China Life Sciences Group and served as co-chair of the global Life Sciences Group from 2016 to 2019. She is among the very few IP attorneys in the world who are both equipped with solid skills in global strategic IP management and knowledgeable about IP issues unique to China and Chinese clients, and she has been the go-to counsel for IP issues in U.S./China cross-border transactions and operations in China. Chambers Global praises her as an outstanding IP lawyer “who is renowned for her work on IP issues concerning complex cross-border transactions, where she regularly advises Chinese clients.” In a recent edition of Chambers Global, a client says, “Janet . . . is very experienced in advising life sciences clients doing business in China and the US . . . She is highly responsive and always gives practical advice. Her IP expertise adds tremendous value to our business.”Since 2005, Janet has been actively involved in the leadership team of the Chinese-American Biopharmaceutical Society (CABS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the life sciences communities in the U.S. and China, including serving as president for the 2011–2012 term. She is also a member of BayHelix, a nonprofit organization of Chinese heritage leaders in the global life sciences and healthcare fields.

肖荐（Janet Xiao）博士的业务侧重于为生命科学公司处理在全球范围内的专利采购、专利组合管理和战略策划事宜。肖博士服务的客户范围广泛，包括大型跨国生物制药公司，例如赛尔基因公司（Celgene）和基因泰克公司（Genentech），也包括全球范围的新兴创业公司。她经常就与各种技术有关的专利事宜向客户提供法律意见，其中涉及的技术包括抗体疗法、细胞疗法、纳米医学、基因疗法、给药系统、诊断和和营养学等。来自全球的创新者纷纷向肖博士寻求专利申请和专利战略的法律咨询，这一点也得到了《钱伯斯指南》的认可。她帮助客户开发和加强其复杂的专利组合，从而为客户实现最大的商业价值。在为制药行业的客户制定数十亿美元专利组合的战略方面，肖博士发挥着重要的作用。《钱伯斯指南》曾引用客户评价称，“肖博士是我曾合作过的律师当中知识最渊博、效率最高的一位律师。她能很好地将专利组合的历史信息用于全球专利申请问题上。”肖博士针对风险投资、技术交易、并购和生物医药产品的市场推广与生产许可事宜开展广泛的知识产权尽职调查审查工作。她协助世界上一些最成功的生物制药公司和投资者，为其产品开发和投资评估潜在风险，并制定先发制人的风险管理策略。她曾牵头处理过数百个知识产权尽职调查项目，并凭借自己对癌症免疫治疗、基因编辑、新一代测序、液体活检、抗体制造和医疗设备领域的专利方面的深厚知识而闻名。肖博士时常与专利诉讼律师合作，处理由第三方竞争者提出的法律质疑，或对第三方竞争者提出的法律质疑，她还经常受聘代表客户处理专利诉讼和授予后程序。肖博士是美富中国生命科学业务组主管，她曾在2016至2019期间担任美富全球生命科学业务组的联席主管。肖博士是全球为数不多的既拥有很强的全球战略性知识产权管理技能，同时又对中国和中国客户独特的知识产权问题具有深刻理解的知识产权律师之一，她一直是处理中美跨境交易和在中国境内经营中所涉知识产权问题的首选律师。《钱伯斯全球指南》称赞她是一位优秀的知识产权律师，“她因处理与复杂跨境交易有关的知识产权问题工作而知名，经常代表中国客户处理这方面的事宜” 。在近期一版《钱伯斯全球指南》中，某客户评价称，“肖博士在为于中国和美国开展业务的生命科学客户提供法律意见方面，有非常丰富的经验。她非常负责而且总是提供切实可行的法律意见。她在知识产权方面的专业意见为我们的业务增添了巨大价值。”自2005年以来，肖博士一直积极参与北美华人生物医药协会（CABS）的领导工作。该协会是一家非营利组织，致力于成为连接中美两国生命科学领域的纽带。肖博士在2011至2012年间担任该协会主席。她还是百华协会（BayHelix）的成员。百华协会是一家非营利组织，由全球生命科技和医疗保健产业领域的华人精英组成。

Advanced Topics in Patent Law with Morrison Foerster and Harvard Griffin GSAS Biotech Club

14 May 2025 - 04 Jun 2025

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