Woodcock Washburn counsels major academic and research organizations on safeguarding their intellectual property. Our attorneys work as a part of a legal team to forge a strong foundation for the type of "at-risk" ventures generated by university and nonprofit research institutions.

The firm's attorneys advise academic and research organizations on transferring technology to both new ventures and corporate sponsors, helping to protect and commercialize their technology. Woodcock Washburn has assisted many clients in founding new companies and corporate spin-offs involving technologies as diverse as biotechnology, bioinformatics, chemicals, nanotechnology, medical devices, materials science, mechanical and electrical engineering, and computer science.

Our lawyers' in-house backgrounds and advanced degrees in engineering and the sciences allow them to provide full support in each field. For example, all of our chemical patent prosecution attorneys have either advanced degrees or in-house chemical industry experience as scientists or counsel, making them thoroughly familiar with the established strategies within various industries and able to inject fresh thinking whenever necessary.

Our firm also provides comprehensive counseling and advocacy on FDA medical device matters ranging from product clearance and approval to post-market requirements, enforcement and compliance issues, product promotion, and advertising.

Woodcock Washburn has represented the University of Pennsylvania for more than 20 years, protecting its seminal work in microlithography, Nobel Prize winning polymer batteries and fuel cells, medical imaging and systems, peptide mimetics, remote sensors and systems, orthopedic materials and devices, testing equipment and sensors, developments in biotechnology and a host of pharmaceuticals.

Other notable academic and nonprofit clients include Drexel University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the National Institutes of Health.