TORONTO, September 18, 2017 – IP Osgoode, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic, and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP are pleased to announce their participation in the 2017 Accessibility Innovation Showcase’s Ask the Expert Program Sept. 25 to 26 at The Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West (at Bay Street). Members of the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic will provide pro bono one-to-one intellectual property (IP) support to the creators of emerging accessibility and assistive device technologies.

An official event of the Invictus Games 2017, the 2017 Accessibility Innovation Showcase is organized by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science, and Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, and will highlight promising accessibility technologies and assistive devices to investors, local and international dignitaries, government representatives, and the general public.

IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP staff, including IP Osgoode Founding Director Professor Giuseppina D’Agostino, IP Osgoode Assistant Director Michelle Li, and Innovation Clinic supervising lawyer, Maya Medeiros, Partner, Lawyer, Patent Agent, Trade-mark Agent at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, along with members of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada’s IP Group, will supervise the Clinic’s student Fellows as they provide IP information to the Showcase’s exhibitors who are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Founded in 2010 by D’Agostino, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic was the first Canadian IP law clinic of its kind and provides experiential learning experiences for Osgoode Hall Law School students in the areas of IP and technology law. In collaboration with Norton Rose Fulbright LLP and the International Law Research Program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation – an independent, non-partisan international governance think tank based in Waterloo, Ontario – IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic Fellows provide pro bono one-to-one IP law information and support to inventors, entrepreneurs, and start-up companies in Toronto, York Region, Waterloo Region, and beyond.

“The IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is designed to help under-resourced and up-and-coming inventors and entrepreneurs navigate the world of IP law, identify freedom to operate concerns, and develop commercialization strategies as they bring their inventions to the public,” says D’Agostino. “The Clinic staff and our Fellows are excited to participate in the Accessibility Innovation Showcase and support these impressive companies that are helping to improve the quality of life for many.”

Now in its third year, the Accessibility Innovation Showcase provides an opportunity for Ontario-based companies and entrepreneurs to demonstrate innovations and advances in accessibility technologies, and increase awareness for this emerging sector. This high-profile event brings together top innovators, investors, government representatives and the general public. For 2017, the showcase will take place alongside the Invictus Games being held in Toronto and has been granted official Games event status, further increasing its visibility. The showcase will include 48 interactive exhibits highlighting innovative assistive technologies and devices. In addition, there will be an accessibility-themed speaker series, along with entertainers and performers.

“We’re very pleased to have representatives from the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic, based at Osgoode Hall Law School, participate in our Ask the Expert sessions as part of the Accessibility Innovation Showcase,” says Morris (Mickey) Milner, Chair, Accessibility Innovation Showcase Advisory Committee. “Our exhibitors will clearly benefit from this opportunity to access legal expertise around some of the complex issues their companies face, whether they’re starting up or scaling up.”

The training and support provided by Norton Rose Fulbright LLP helps train Ontario’s next generation of IP practitioners and entrepreneurs. “We are excited to participate in the Accessibility Innovation Showcase and provide strategic IP information to Ontario-based innovators developing technology to improve people’s lives,” says Medeiros. “In the Information Age, navigating IP issues is increasingly important and complex. We enjoy working with the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic to help the students develop key expertise in the areas of IP and technology law. These students are the lawyers of the future and already they are giving back to their local technology community.”

The IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is funded by support from the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University’s Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and Innovation York.

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About the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic

Founded and directed by Professor Giuseppina D’Agostino in 2010, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic is a needs-based, innovation-to-market legal clinic operated in collaboration with Innovation York and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. The Innovation Clinic is staffed by student volunteers from Osgoode Hall Law School who are supervised by lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. Under the guidance and mentorship of the supervising lawyers, Innovation 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, Innovation Clinic Fellows learn about common early-stage IP and business law issues facing actors in the innovation ecosystem. To date, the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic has trained over 80 Osgoode law students and served over 100 companies in the areas of IP and technology law.

About York University

York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contacts: Virginia Corner, Communications Manager, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca

Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca