Event

BCLT-Oregon Start-Up Signature Series

Fish & Richardson attorneys Kathryn Grey, Madelyn McCormick, Tyler Train, Dexter Whitley, Giordana Mahn, and Alex Yu will present virtual CLE programs during the BCLT-Oregon Start-Up Signature Series.

Fish is proud to support the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology (BCLT) and the University of Oregon School of Law in their Start-Up Signature Series of free virtual education programs, designed to help start-ups and investors successfully push their companies forward. Session details are below.

Patent Prosecution and Licensing Basics | Kathryn Grey and Alex Yu

Wednesday, October 1

Strong intellectual property can be the backbone of business success — but only if you know how to protect and leverage it. In this practical session, Kathryn Grey and Alex Yu will walk you through the essentials of patents, ownership, and licensing strategies that every company should master. From understanding the anatomy of a patent to navigating freedom-to-operate issues and structuring licensing agreements, this program offers real-world guidance for innovators, founders, and legal teams alike.

Whether you’re growing a start-up or managing a mature portfolio, this session will help you align your IP strategy with your business strategy.

In this program, you’ll learn how to:

  • Recognize the value of IP as both a shield and a business asset
  • Understand patent basics, including subject matter, timelines, and claims
  • Build effective patent filing and protection strategies across jurisdictions
  • Navigate freedom-to-operate analyses and avoid infringement pitfalls
  • Clarify inventorship, ownership, and assignment in employee and third-party collaborations
  • Structure licensing agreements to align with business goals and minimize risk

Medical Device IP 101 | Tyler Train and Giordana Mahn

Wednesday, October 8

Medical device start-ups face unique IP and regulatory challenges that can define their success. In this engaging session, Tyler Train and Giordana Mahn will guide start-ups through the essential IP and regulatory strategies that can make or break early success. From securing patent rights to choosing between trade secret protection and public filings, this program will help innovators avoid common pitfalls and lay a strong foundation for growth.

In this program, you’ll learn how to:

  • Understand the basics of patents, including subject matter, novelty, and non-obviousness
  • Navigate the patent application and prosecution process, from provisional filings to global strategy
  • Distinguish between patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and copyrights — and when to use each
  • Avoid common pitfalls in IP ownership, assignment, and collaboration agreements
  • Prepare for potential IP litigation, including timelines and remedies
  • Align IP protection with FDA device classifications and regulatory requirements

BPCIA & Hatch-Waxman 101 | Madelyn McCormick and Dexter Whitley

Wednesday, November 12

Join the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology for an engaging session that unpacks two of the most important regulatory frameworks shaping the pharmaceutical and biotech industries: the Hatch-Waxman Act and the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA). Our presenters, Madelyn McCormick and Dexter Whitley, will guide participants through the complex — but critical — interplay between patents, exclusivities, and regulatory approvals for small-molecule drugs and biologics.

This program offers a practical foundation for understanding how these frameworks balance innovation incentives with market competition, and how they affect litigation, exclusivity rights, and drug pricing.

For more information, or to register, click here.