This webinar will review some of the key changes in the law, policy and case review that affects seed innovations.
Target Audiences: Seed companies, seed dealers, seed producers, gene editing tech companies, university tech transfer offices, foundation seed companies, indoor agriculture companies and seed treaters.
Our presenters will be:
About Matt Grant, partner at Husch Blackwell
His practice has included advising food systems clients on matters such utility and plant patents, trademarks, plant variety protection, herbicide application regulations, crop seed bag labeling, crop performance, as well as a variety of other legal issues involving crops ranging from corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton to alfalfa, canola, milo, turf grass, kidney beans, sesame seeds, green peppers and lentils. Many of these matters involved alleged infringement and/or seed piracy.
Additionally, Matt has defended food and consumer product manufacturers faced with class action cases based upon product labeling. These putative class claims have focused on “All Natural” and “Made in America” language and often involve claims arising under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA).
Matt has appeared on behalf of clients in state and federal courts — both civil and bankruptcy — across the United States. He has also coordinated with federal law enforcement (FBI and IRS) authorities and has litigated employee embezzlement matters.
Furthermore, Matt has led the defense of several putative nationwide class action matters in state and federal courts, including multidistrict litigation (MDL) experience. He has handled the prosecution and defense of a variety of commercial and contractual disputes, including distributor, licensing and construction disputes. Most recently, Matt has provided advice on regulatory, IP, privacy and exposure/risk issues associated with the emerging field of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
Husch Blackwell - Matt Grant Bio
About James Weatherly, Owner of Weatherly IP Solutions
As a Registered US Patent Attorney, James has obtained patents, Plant Breeders Rights, Plant Variety Protection, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, licenses and set up trade secrets policies.
James has managed a variety of legal matters related to the agriculture and plant industry, including trait based and seed based agronomic patents, plant patents, United States Plant Variety Protection, and Plant Breeders Rights in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and Australia, as well as Federal Seed Act issues. James has successfully prosecuted the registration of trademarks and services marks in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and Australia for the fruit, vegetable, seed crop, horticulture and grass industries. James has also managed various intellectual property litigation matters in Federal and State Court in the US, as well as Canada, Europe and Asia.
Weatherly IP Solutions - James Weatherly
About Joel Cape, Owner of Cape Law Firm
I’m the first in my family to go to become a lawyer – actually the first one to go to graduate school. We raised cattle which I thought was really cool (still do). Growing up, I knew that I wanted to run my own cattle operation. But agriculture in the 1980’s was tough. Very tough. It left a mark, so to speak. My folks urged me on to college to get an education.
While working towards a degree in Ag Economics, I completed a couple of great internships that sparked my interest in the law. One was for a bank in El Reno, Oklahoma which did quite a bit of Ag lending. The bank’s farm clients had complex financial issues, often made more complicated by banking regulations, and solving them was uniquely rewarding. The other was for David Boren, then one of Oklahoma’s U.S. Senators and a member of the Senate Ag committee. Working with the Senator and his staff was hugely enlightening, and I really caught the bug for the legislative process and Ag policy. During my senior year at Oklahoma State, I discovered the Agricultural Law program at University of Arkansas Law School and my path was set – I was going to practice agricultural law. So off to law school I went. Four years later I had two law degrees, a J.D. and an LL.M in Agricultural Law, and had passed two bar exams.
I’ve practiced law since 1998, first in a large New Orleans litigation firm with outstanding attorneys. After several years of great experience (and rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina), I moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas to create the agribusiness practice that motivated me from the beginning. As I built this Firm, I had the privilege of serving as a Deputy Prosecutor for Madison County, Arkansas. I prosecuted felonies, misdemeanors, juvenile delinquencies, and assisted families needing judicial intervention with troubled youth. Prosecution gave me the opportunity to meet and address some of the most persistent dilemmas plaguing rural America – opioids and meth.
I have a passion for finding solutions to tough problems in the business of agriculture and food. A common sense solution for my clients’ thorniest problems – that is the aim of this practice.
Cape Law Firm PLC
This webinar will be recorded and posted to the SIPA website for SIPA members.