AUTM’s (the Association of University Technology Managers) Annual meeting in New Orleans, as others before it, was a whirlwind of non-stop education, networking, and partnering. AUTM 2015 was a busy meeting for the OTT team as members volunteered, attended sessions, spoke on panels, and participated in partnering sessions over the four day event. There was also the added “fun” of air travel during snow storms in Atlanta–real or imagined–which is painful and should be avoided! There were three previous posts that highlighted partnering and first AUTM meetings for staff and interns alike. As a final wrap-up, here are a number of highlights and overall observations from our group.
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Record Numbers: Attendance at the 2015 Annual AUTM Meeting was a record high since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. This record is just another indicator that interest in this space has not waned, and instead demonstrates that technology transfer is, has been, and will continue to be a critical factor in driving innovation internationally.
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Change in Tech Transfer: The unofficial theme of this year’s meeting could have been “Change.” So many session topics could be traced back to change – patent protection, constrained resources, lean start-ups, and crowd funding for example.
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Myriad: A common question and discussion was heard through the halls this AUTM concerning the world of patents in light of Myriad. There is no magic response to patentability rejections based on Myriad. Patent attorneys and TTOs across the country are addressing the same issues as we are, and there is no consensus on how to protect biotech inventions under the new patentability regime.
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Trademarks: When it comes to trademark litigation, if you register your mark with federal (®) or state (™) government, you do not need to prove that you own the mark. You just need to show your registration paperwork to the court.
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Business Plan Competition: The audience’s input was incorporated into the winner selection process this year, which was a good step and added considerable value.
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Preserving Value during Company Transitions: During bankruptcy of a licensee, a well-drafted license agreement should induce the bankruptcy judge to “reject” the agreement when company assets (including license agreements and all other contracts) are evaluated. A rejected license agreement by the bankruptcy judge means that the licensor’s hands are free.
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Change of Control in a Start-up: It is possible for control of a start-up to change without utilizing some of the traditional mechanisms such as M&A, asset sale, IPO, or any other major exit event.
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Potential Licensees: Companies are increasingly becoming interested in accessing biospecimens and associated clinical data in order to discover markers that may better predict therapeutic response.
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Potential Licenses: Companies want to establish early-stage R&D projects with academic institutions which was indicative from some of the companies that I met with were rolling out online portals to facilitate such collaborations.
AUTM is just one of the meetings that OTT attends each year, along with meetings like SEMDA, GA BIO, SEBIO, BIO> International, and JP Morgan Healthcare as part of our overall communications & marketing strategy. These meetings provide our team with opportunities to building relationships, connect Emory innovations with companies, and stay abreast of trends and factors affecting technology transfer.