Androu Waheeb is one of our IP Innovation Clinic Coordinators and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As part of the IP Innovation Clinic’s involvement in the inaugural year of Mitacs’ Business Strategy Internship program, Androu completed an internship at InteraXon Inc. under the direct supervision of Naseem Bawa. As Principal Investigator, Prof. Pina D’Agostino secured three $10,000 grants from Mitacs, one of which was used to fund this internship.

This summer, I interned with the General Counsel of a start-up technology company that owns an extensive intellectual property portfolio. As I reflect on my time there, I cannot help but appreciate how beneficial this summer will prove to be for my legal career. Through this internship, I experienced transactional law broadly and practically, learned from an extremely skilled and knowledgeable lawyer, and built long lasting friendships. Most importantly, I learned how to learn during my summer law jobs by optimizing the proportion of the types of tasks I take on to maximize my educational experience at internships while being productive and effective at the workplace.

A significant portion of my tasks involved completing work products and submitting them to my supervising lawyer for review. After submitting my work products, my supervisor revised them with me and explained any changes or concepts she felt would be beneficial to me. These types of tasks were an excellent way for me to “learn by doing” and kept me constantly engaged with new and exciting challenges. By putting things into practice, I both expanded upon my understanding and solidified my grasp on many legal skills and concepts. Tasks I completed in this way included preparing intellectual property searches, producing memos exploring legal issues, redlining contracts, updating privacy policies, and drafting IP claims.

In addition to submitting work products, I also worked alongside my supervisor or under her direct supervision at times. During these meetings, I learned by direct collaboration, observation, or supervision. By observing or being observed, I benefited by critically engaging with the task and being instantly corrected. In this way, I conducted training sessions, helped update the privacy policy, and assisted with contract drafting, review, and negotiation.

My experience has shown me the immeasurable value of modelling my future summer internships in a way that provides a mixture of creating work products for revision, performing under direct supervision, and observing in descending proportions respectively. This combination would allow me to learn by doing, practice what I learn theoretically, and solidify new concepts.

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Krystel Ametepeh is an IP Innovation Clinic Fellow and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As part of the IP Innovation Clinic’s involvement in the inaugural year of Mitacs’ Business Strategy Internship program, Krystel completed an internship at 3D Bridge Solutions under the direct supervision of Karima Bawa. As Principal Investigator, Prof. Pina D’Agostino secured three $10,000 grants from Mitacs, one of which was used to fund this internship. 

As part of the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program, I had the opportunity to complete a 16-week placement with a medical technology company called 3D Bridge Solutions. 3D Bridge Solutions provides a digital medication platform and dispenser to aid with medication adherence. The company’s solution helps mitigate the challenges associated with senior care, which were made evident by the COVID-19 pandemic, by safely and securely dispensing patients’ medication according to a set dosing schedule.  As part of this placement, I had the opportunity to work closely with various members of the team on a variety of projects. Notably, I had the opportunity to draft user manuals for the company’s product offering, as well as a privacy policy.

Work Responsibilities

Drafting the user manuals was both a challenging and exciting task. Prior to beginning the drafting process, I had to develop a strong understanding of how the company’s product worked to enable me to produce a work product that was beneficial to users. I worked closely with the Chief Technology Officer who provided me with much needed guidance on how the product operated. I also had the opportunity to experiment with the system to gain further insights into the user experience. Equipped with this knowledge, I began writing the user manuals. However, the product was going through further developments when I began working on this project. Thus, at various points during the drafting process, I had to learn about new functionalities as they were added to the product offering and determine how best to incorporate these features into the manuals. It was exciting to learn about these new developments as they arose, and to learn about the reasoning behind creating them. While the process of writing the user manuals initially seemed daunting, I was provided with meaningful feedback and guidance by various members of the team throughout the process, which eased the writing process. Working on this project enabled me to further develop my writing skills, as well as my ability to convey technical content in a comprehensible manner.

I also had the opportunity to draft a privacy policy for the company’s website. Similar to the user manuals, this was my first experience handling a task of this nature. Thus, I had to conduct research on the requirements under Canadian privacy legislation, and on best practices for our industry. I also relied on various resources and insights my supervisor shared with me throughout the drafting process. A challenging part of this task was in trying to balance the need to create a comprehensible policy, with the need to create one that covered all the necessary grounds. I was provided with the opportunity to have a discussion with a privacy lawyer who was able to provide assistance on how to navigate this challenge. Moreover, my supervisor provided me with invaluable assistance and feedback throughout the process. Completing this project was one of the highlights of the time I spent working with 3D Bridge Solutions. This project enabled me to further explore my interest in privacy law and learn more about Canadian privacy law, all while gaining practical experience through drafting a privacy policy.

Conclusion

Overall, working with 3D Bridge Solutions served as an incredible learning experience. It provided me with the opportunity to further develop my writing and research skills through challenging and engaging work responsibilities. I also had the benefit of learning so much from the 3D Bridge Solutions team, who have vast amounts of knowledge and experience, through their guidance and support.

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Bonnie Hassanzadeh is an IP Intensive student and 3L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As part of the IP Innovation Clinic’s involvement in the inaugural year of Mitacs’ Business Strategy Internship program, Bonnie completed an internship at Bereskin & Parr LLP under the direct supervision of Reshika Dhir. As Principal Investigator, Prof. Pina D’Agostino secured three $10,000 grants from Mitacs, one of which was used to fund this internship. 

This past summer, I completed an internship with as part of the ’s collaboration with IP Osgoode. I was tasked with creating business and marketing materials for the Engineering and Technology practice group, focusing mainly on topics pertaining to patent prosecution. Over the course of my internship, I conducted extensive research into the patenting process, the value of patents for a business, as well as issues related to patent infringement and available remedies in Canada.

One of the skills I sharpened over the course of my internship was effective and accessible legal writing. Early on, I realized that I needed to strike a balance between communicating dense legal concepts that are crucial to the everyday practice of patent professionals with accessibility of that content for existing and prospective clients. Many clients who seek the services of patent professionals have extensive knowledge in technical fields, such as science or engineering, but often do not have much experience with intellectual property law. Therefore, it was crucial for me to adjust my writing to the needs of clients. I was grateful to receive constructive feedback from my mentor, , on a regular basis and improve on my work each week.

My experience of working at a law firm was also unique in that not only did I get to collaborate with the lawyers and patent professionals at Bereskin & Parr, but I also got a glimpse into the creative and marketing side of running a successful firm. As a law student with a background in the life sciences, I did not have much experience with the creative process of developing business materials going into the program, and through collaborating with a talented team of marketing professionals, I learned a lot about the importance of effective presentation of information.

I also had several opportunities to collaborate with the professionals at Bereskin & Parr to write and publish articles about recent topics in intellectual property law and examine those topics not only from a theoretical perspective but also from the lens of practitioners in the field. Writing articles and going through the process of editing with the professionals provided great opportunities for me to clarify my understanding of key legal doctrines and how they apply to the practice of law in a boutique IP law firm.

Overall, my experience with the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program and their collaboration with IP Osgoode and Bereskin & Parr LLP was a very rewarding one and I took many lessons from my summer term that I know I will utilize in the future.

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Top Row: John Heburn (CEO, Mitacs), Androu Waheeb (IP Innovation Clinic Fellow), Naseem Bawa (General Counsel, InteraXon Inc. Bottom Row: The Honourable Doug Downey (Minister of the Attorney General of Ontario), Prof Pina D'Agostino (Founder & Director of IP Osgoode), The Honourable Ross Romano (Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities)

Yesterday, the Government of Ontario formally announced their funding of thousands of student internships through Mitacs. The announcement was made during a press conference held by the Honourable Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities, and featured the Honourable Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario, and John Hepburn, CEO of Mitacs. As Principal Investigator of 3 projects in the inaugural year of Mitacs' Business Strategy Internship (BSI) Program, Prof Pina D’Agostino was also invited to be part of the festivities, along with Naseem Bawa, General Counsel for InteraXon Inc., and Androu Waheeb, 1L IP Innovation Clinic Fellow who will complete a BSI at InteraXon this summer.

Minister Romano announced that the Government has granted $39.5 million to Mitacs to fund internships that give students, post-doctoral researchers, and businesses more hands-on, real world experience in the field of their choice. Of the hundreds of internships offered across the country, roughly 100 are in their intellectual property stream.

Ministers Romano and Downey repeatedly stressed the importance of investing in Ontario IP rightsholders and empowering SMEs to take advantage of the intangible economy. In particular, Minister Romano pointed out that foreign entities take advantage of Ontario’s IP resources which remain inaccessible for local innovators. As such, this internship is not only an important investment for potential rightsholders, but also for students who will be business-owners commercializing IP and lawyers protecting their rights.

Mitacs CEO John Hepburn stressed the importance of this new collaboration in helping businesses to succeed at every stage of their journey. In the context of Mitacs’ goal of promoting growth and innovation in Canada, Mr. Hepburn introduced the goal of the BSI program: helping SMEs to address specific needs in order to pivot their businesses in response to the pandemic. In particular, because IP literacy is crucial in the early stages of a business, many student interns will offer valuable IP insight (with academic supervision) to help SMEs develop IP strategy in the initial stages of their business.

Prof D’Agostino spoke for the huge impact that this program will have on the students involved and the experience that it offers for them. After a quick but forceful plug for IP Innovation Clinic’s work in supporting IP strategy for SMEs to date, she highlighted our students’ growing need for employment opportunities like this. The combination of education with intention and work with grassroots organizations in turn empowers the Canadian economy.

Naseem Bawa briefly spoke about InteraXon Inc’s strategic IP investments protecting a wide range of their innovations, and the importance of protecting IP for small businesses. Businesses, according to Naseem, need a layered approach to IP that goes beyond registering it: they need support to enhance, protect, and strategically enforce their IP rights. This takes time and resources, but is critical for the future of both Canada and its companies, further stressing the impact of programs like this. Androu Waheeb rounded out the speakers, expressing his sincere gratitude for this opportunity and the ways in which it will prepare him to follow his dream of becoming an IP lawyer.

We would like to thank the Government of Ontario and Mitacs for supporting this program and our incredible students, whom we wish the best of luck in their internships!

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Mitacs designed the BSI program for students to find employment this summer and to help participating partner organizations to restore or modify their business operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first year that Mitacs will run this program. Our students will be able to further their legal knowledge beyond the classroom through practical work on real world projects.

Here is some more information about each project:

3D Bridge Patenting and Commercialization Research

has developed a secure digital medication platform through which health practitioners and other authorized care providers can connect with patients remotely. The device will help to ensure that the medication is properly administered to patients, specifically the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and those who take addictive or high-cost medication. Krystel Ametepeh, 1L student and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, will work under the supervision of Karima Bawa, CEO and in-house lawyer of 3D Bridge, to provide legal research services in intellectual property, health and privacy law and to address the legal requirements associated with commercialization amidst this product’s pre-commercial rollout.

Innovative Educational and Marketing Tools for Prospective IP Rights Owners (Bereskin & Parr)

(B&P) has struggled to market their services and educate clients without their usual in-person events. With funding from Mitacs, B&P will hire Bonnie Hassanzadeh, 2L student and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, to create educational and marketing tools for various purposes, including training for new staff and educating prospective and existing clients. Under the supervision of B&P Partner Reshika Dhir, Bonnie will also research marketing strategies about tailoring these materials to various clientele and determine the most effective media to convey the relevant information. Some of these materials will be available for use by our IP Innovation Clinic.

Interaxon Scaling Project

is a Toronto-based company that helps customers to build rewarding meditation and sleep practices to lead healthier and happier lives. As the COVID-19 pandemic has increased their need to address mental health concerns, Interaxon is looking to increase the commercialization of its products and services. The funding will allow Androu Waheeb, 1L student and IP Innovation Clinic Fellow, to work alongside Naseem Bawa, General Counsel at Interaxon, in developing licensing arrangements for the company’s relevant IP and seeking FDA approval to make Interaxon’s devices more accessible to users.

We are very grateful to Mitacs for approving IP Osgoode's proposals in this inaugural year of their Business Strategy Internship program. We would also like to thank our supervisors at 3D Bridge, Bereskin & Parr, and Interaxon for working hard on such short notice to make space for our students and put our proposals together. We look forward to seeing how our students grow and what they accomplish with our partner organizations.

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