IP talk will focus on avoiding pitfalls on research collaborations
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Chicago attorney will discuss how Purdue faculty and researchers can avoid legal landmines when collaborating with others during a talk next week in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.
George C. Summerfield Jr., a partner at Stadheim & Grear Ltd., will speak on "Avoiding Pitfalls in Collaborative Research" from noon to 1 p.m. March 4, in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center, Room 121.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Purdue Research Foundation/Office of Technology Commercialization and the College of Technology.
"University faculty, staff and students are well-versed with scientific paper presentations and publications," said event host Suranjan Panigrahi, a Purdue electrical and computer engineering technology professor. "This talk is designed to address intellectual property issues we face in a university setting as we strive to translate research for a broader impact in the world around us."
To register, contact Cindy Ream, engagement operations manager for Discovery Park, at cream@purdue.edu, 765-494-0015.
Summerfield, who received his law degree through a joint program between Wayne State University and the University of Windsor in Ontario, focuses on licensing and enforcement of patent owner rights at Stadheim & Grear.
His litigation activities in a career spanning three decades have involved electronics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biologics and mechanical devices for clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Bristol-Myers, American Cyanamid, Ford Motor Co., and Graco Children's Products Inc.
Summerfield also spent three years with the U.S. International Trade Commission's Office of Unfair Import Investigations litigating instances of intellectual property infringement. From there, he assisted the Government of Romania in drafting a new, post-revolution patent law and lobbying the Romanian Parliament for the adoption of the law.
Joining Panigrahi in coordinating Summerfield's visit are Candiss Vibbert, associate director for engagement in Discovery Park; Elizabeth "Libby" Hart-Wells, OTC assistant vice president and director; and Hilton Turner, OTC innovation strategy manager.
Writer: Phillip Fiorini, 765-496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu
Sources: Suranjan Panigrahi, 765-494-6908, spanigr@purdue.edu
George C. Summerfield Jr., 312-755-440, summerfield@stadheimgrear.com