EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report outlines the impetus behind the Centre for
International Governance Innovation (CIGI) International
Intellectual Property Law Clinic, which operated for three months
in 2014. It consisted of a partnership among the CIGI International
Law Research Program (ILRP), Communitech (the Region of
Waterloo's hub for commercialization of innovative
technologies) and leading intellectual property (IP) law firms.
The report describes the new innovator's commercialization
dilemma — a multifaceted dilemma arising from lack of IP
legal knowledge, lack of financial resources and the high costs
associated with IP protection, all of which combine to place the
new innovator in a vulnerable position at the early stages of their
commercialization timeline. After briefly surveying the current
environment for entrepreneurship-based clinics, the report
describes the elements and structure of the CIGI clinic. The
advantages for participating students as well
