A team of CWRU Law students recently took second place in the Southwest Regional National Patent Application Drafting Competition. Philip Kwon (2L), Amy Schnupp (2L) and Gregory Coffee (2L) found out about the competition through the patent preparation and prosecution course taught by adjunct professor Chris Hunter, who served as the coach of the team.
The competition is an annual event hosted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and simulates the real-world process of drafting a patent application. The process helps law students develop practical skills in prior art searching, patent claim drafting and strategic application writing.
In November, the team was provided with a hypothetical invention disclosure. They then embarked on research, including a patentability search, drafting a detailed patent application, drawing up patent claims and submitting their application. The team then prepared for an oral presentation, where they explained their research, drafting strategy and legal reasoning to a panel of judges and answered technical and legal questions about the logic and strength of their claims.
The Southwest Regional competition included nine teams from law schools such as the University of Georgia, the University of Texas and the University of Florida Levin, all of which the team from Case Western Reserve outperformed to place second. This achievement ranks the team among the top 10 nationally, highlighting the strength of the Intellectual Property program.
“The competition provided invaluable hands-on experience, simulating real-world patent prosecution work,” remarked Philip Kwon. “Professor Hunter’s guidance was crucial in helping us develop a strong claim strategy, and we hope our success encourages more students to participate in future competitions and pursue patent law careers.”