San Diego IP Law Group and Biomimicry Launchpad 2019

December 11, 2018

San Diego IP Law Group LLP (“the Firm”) is committed to providing pro bono legal services and mentorship to non-profit organizations, student organizations, and fledgling innovators and entrepreneurs. We are especially pleased to announce our continued pro bono support to the Biomimicry Institute’s Biomimicry Global Design Challenge (GDC) and the Biomimicry Launchpad, the latter of which is an accelerator business program that supports early-stage entrepreneurs working to bring nature-inspired solutions to market to address climate change, food production, and water availability, among other global concerns. The Launchpad provides entrepreneurs with access to resources, training, mentoring, design software, the Firm’s free legal advice and the opportunity to compete for the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize, sponsored by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, a $25,000 second prize, and additional cash prizes.

“We are looking forward to offering the services of our firm on a pro bono basis to the upcoming 2019 Launchpad and GDC teams,” says Firm co-founder and patent attorney, Trevor Coddington, Ph.D. “We strongly believe in supporting such endeavors to address economic and environmental issues that affect us all. We find the investment of our intellectual property team in the Launchpad and GDC empowers fledging innovators around the world who do not have complete access to legal resources.”

The Firm recently assisted the 2018 Ray of Hope Prize winner, Team Nucleário inventors Bruno Rutman Pagnoncelli, Bruno Ferrari, Pedro Rutman Pagnoncelli, on a pro-bono basis to patent Brazilian reforestation technology in the United States.

The Firm also assisted the 2017 Ray of Hope Prize winner, Team NexLoop inventors Jacob Russo, Anamarija Frankic Squantum, and C. Mike Lindsey, on a pro-bono basis file to patent and trademark technology for renewable water and sustainable food.

In September this year, Dr. Coddington presented “Intellectual Property Law for Startups,” to seminar participants at the Biomimicry Institute’s Accelerator Boot Camp that took place at the University of Montana in Missoula. The Biomimicry Accelerator Boot Camp is part of the Biomimicry Launchpad’s in-person training for Launchpad participants. Dr. Coddington provided teams with a 60-minute introductory presentation on intellectual property law, including a discussion on patent eligibility around the world, requirements for patents and trademarks, university tech-transfer agreements, intellectual property licensing, business contracts, and best practices to record and protect innovation. Dr. Coddington also hosted individual Q & A breakout sessions with each team to address individual and specific intellectual property questions and concerns, which included the rights of universities to inventions developed by students or professors, and preserving intellectual property rights in a cost-effective manner.