| Karen Sinclair is a Registered Patent and Trade Mark Attorney and graduated from Monash University with majors in organic chemistry and microbiology as well as in biochemistry. Karen joined the profession in 1987 and has been a Principal of Watermark Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys since 1995. She has broad experience in all fields of intellectual property and drafts, prosecutes and manages intellectual property particularly in the fields of chemical synthesis, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, polymer chemistry, molecular biology, formulation chemistry and in the application of these technologies to the human and animal healthcare industries. She has a particular interest in assisting Australian companies to successfully commercialise such research on an international scale, and has extensive international experience working with European and US based associates in achieving patent grant in those jurisdictions. Karen was Watermark’s Practice Group Leader for the bioscience and chemical technology industries for nearly 15 years, and is based in Watermark’s Melbourne office. Karen’s clients include Stiefel Research Australia Pty Ltd (part of Florida – based Stiefel Laboratories Inc specializing in proprietary dermatological formulations), PolyNovo Biomaterials Pty Ltd (biocompatible polymers under licence to Medtronic Inc, CogState Ltd (neuropharmacology), Nanotechnology Victoria Ltd ( a government funded commercialization venture for the Victorian nanotech sector) , Biota Holdings Limited ( Relenza® flu treatments), the Sanofi Aventis Group (US, France, Germany, Australia – pharmaceutical chemistry) and Bayer CropScience (Germany, Australia - agrochemicals). Karen has lectured extensively in the area of intellectual asset management since 2001 and was independently appointed to the IP Management Forum of a Melbourne based division of CSIRO. Karen is actively involved in industry associations in her fields of expertise and takes a strong interest in technology transfer, particularly in the field of healthcare. She is President - Elect of the Executive of the Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand, having previously held positions as Secretary, Treasurer, Trustee at Large, Editor and Regional Chair. Karen is also a member of the Association of University Technology Managers and has given lectures in IP law and practice at Swinburne University of Technology, Monash University, Deakin University, RMIT University and for VISTA, the industry body representing the vocational training sector in Victoria. Karen has also lectured throughout regional Victoria and in Melbourne for IP Australia. Professionally Karen has been heavily involved in the Australian arm of the International Federation of Intellectual Property Counsel (FICPI) since 1995, and was an invited speaker to the 2000 World Congress of the Federation held in Vancouver, Canada. Karen is also heavily involved in training in the patent attorney profession. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, as well as a Senior Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne. Karen teaches Validity and Interpretation of Patent Specifications and Patent Practice (Australian and international patent law and practice). She was also a Primary Examiner in the subject Patent Systems for the Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Professional Standards Board between 1999 and 2004. In 2007 Karen was appointed to a 3 year term on the Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys by the Federal Minister for Industry. |
