Last week, it was announced that Windsor Law Professor Wissam Aoun will receive government funding through the Intellectual Property Legal Program to expand the University of Windsor Faculty of Law’s intellectual property law clinic. 

The Intellectual Property (IP) Legal Clinics Program, one of the elements of the IP Strategy, is a grant program intended to encourage the establishment or enhancement of IP legal clinics within Canadian law schools. Program funding will support the provision of free or low-cost IP services, and foster the development of future IP experts by increasing the exposure of university students to IP issues.

Professor Aoun, a patent law expert, completed his LLM at Windsor Law in 2018 and joined the Faculty of Law as an Assistant Professor in July of this year. He has been awarded $25,580 from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for his IP submission to the program.

This funding will in part support the creation of a Windsor Law IP Boot Camp for Canadian students along with a new patent drafting textbook, to be spearheaded by Professor Aoun. 

“I am honoured to receive this funding,” says Professor Aoun. “Windsor Law has been a leader in the IP clinical space for many years and this funding will hopefully support the creation of educational initiatives and materials that will allow us to disseminate our knowledge to other institutions and students across the country.”

Professor Aoun believes this funding may further establish Windsor Law as a leader in IP experiential education not just in Canada, but internationally as well.

“Our institution not only has a history of offering innovative experiential legal education but also a deep commitment towards transnationalism. Our IP clinical program has been equally trailblazing in both of those spheres," says Aoun. 

"This is great for the Canadian entrepreneurs that will receive legal support through IP clinical programs, but also for our law students, that will have the opportunity to learn IP practice by participating in one of the world’s most advanced IP clinical programs.

"I'm delighted that Professor Aoun has received this well-deserved grant. It's a wonderful start for one of our new faculty members and promises to bring opportunities for our students," adds Laverne Jacobs, Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies at Windsor Law.

Across Canada, the program will enable law students to learn more about IP and provide inventors and early-stage businesses to receive IP support. This will improve the understanding of IP among those served by the IP legal clinics and increase access to IP services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women, and Indigenous innovators as they seek to develop effective IP strategies and protect their innovations. This program aims to help Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs better understand, protect, and commercialize IP.

— Rachelle Prince