Jill N. Link, Pharm.D.

Partner, Patent Attorney, Chair of the Licensing Practice Group

Jill received her doctorate degree in pharmacy with honors from the Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (with undergraduate emphasis in chemistry). While practicing as a hospital pharmacist, Jill continued her education at Drake University completing her law degree with high honors and graduating as a member of the Order of Barristers and the Agricultural Law Journal.

Jill’s practice includes all areas of intellectual property, with an emphasis on drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the firm’s Biotechnology and Chemical Practice Group. Jill has filed over 200 hundred U. S. patent applications in the chemical and life sciences areas, and her practice includes both U. S. and international patent management. Much of Jill’s patent prosecution work is in the field of water, hygiene and energy technologies to provide chemical products for food service, food processing, healthcare, industrial, and oil and gas markets. Jill works with numerous universities throughout the country through their technology transfer programs to protect various chemical and life science technologies.

Jill’s practice also includes complex licensing, collaborations and other transfers and sales of property to help clients monetize innovations. Jill’s licensing experience spans across various technologies, with an emphasis in agriculture. She has over a decade of experience working with multi-national companies, start-ups, joint ventures, and numerous universities throughout the country. Her experience includes both domestic and cross-border transactions. Jill is the Chairwoman of the Firm’s Licensing Practice Group.

Jill is actively involved in organizations relating to her practice to stay up-to-date with the latest in technology and trends. Organizations include the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the American Bar Association (ABA), the Polk County Women Attorneys (PCWA), the Iowa State Bar Association, IowaBio, Drake Law School Board of Counselors (2018-2021), and the Licensing Executives Society (LES). Jill is a founding member of and was the 2019 Chair for the LES Iowa Chapter. Jill is also a proud member of ChIPs, a nonprofit organization that advances and connects women in technology, law and policy.

Recognized from 2017-2021 by IP Stars (a legal directory published by Managing Intellectual Property) for her “in-depth work and for spending time at board meetings for her clients to be considered part of the ‘inner sanctum of various companies,’” Jill emphasizes working closely with clients to develop and implement intellectual property strategies tailored to individualized outcomes while remaining cost-effective. She places a high value on the development of client relationships to fully understand each client’s business and what success looks like on a transaction-by-transaction or asset-by-asset basis.

Biotechnology Patents
Chemical Patents
International
Licensing
Trade Secrets

Academic Research and Technology Transfer
Agritech
Animal Health
Chemistry, Material Sciences, and Nanotechnology
Consumer Products and Technology
Food and Beverage Technologies
Medical Devices
Pharma and Nutra
Plant Breeding and Plant-Related Technology

Professional Associations

Licensing Executives Society (LES)

Founding Member of Iowa Chapter of LES

American Intellectual Property Law Association

Association of University Technology Managers

Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association

American Seed Trade Association

American Bar Association

Polk County Women Attorneys

Iowa State Bar Association

Women in Agribusiness

ChIPs (Chiefs in Intellectual Property; Women in technology, law and policy)

Education

Drake University Law School, J.D. with High Honors, Order of Barristers

Drake University College of Pharmacy, Pharm.D. with Cum Laude Honors

Publications & Presentations

“Best Practices for Hiring and Working with IP Counsel,” Iowa Biotech Showcase & Conference, Virtual Event, March 2021

“The Most Notable Unnotable Intellectual Property Licensing Cases of 2019,” Iowa State Bar Association IP Section, Live Webinar, Des Moines, IA, February 2020

“IP Business Basics Course”, Licensing Executive Society (co-taught day-long CLE course), Des Moines, Iowa 2019

“IP Licensing: A Practical Approach to Ensure Contracts do not Interfere with Monetizing and Enforcing Patents,” Iowa State Bar Association, Des Moines, Iowa 2018

“Intellectual Property 101/Basics to a DreamBuilder,” Iowa Center for Economic Success, Des Moines, Iowa 2017

“Teleworking: Procedural and Ethical Considerations,” Polk County Women Attorneys, Des Moines, Iowa 2015

“IP 101: Considerations for Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs,” SCORE, Birmingham, Alabama 2015

“Copyright Protection in the Digital Millennium,” Sielloff & Associates Legal Conference, Granada, Spain, October 2013

“Protecting and Capitalizing Intellectual Property,” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, September 2013

“IP 101: Considerations for Start-ups and All Entrepreneurs,” Bozeman, MT, Chamber of Commerce (and local public presentations), February 2012 and 2013

“Intellectual Property Licensing,” Iowa State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

CLE, Des Moines, IA, August 2011

“IP Licensing for the General Practitioner,” Iowa State Bar Association CLE, Des Moines, IA, April 2011

“Value Added IP Portfolio Management,” Oklahoma Bar Association IP Section Annual

Meeting, Dallas, TX, June 2010

“Selling Licensing Rights – Will the New System Work?” IP Law 360, Feb., 2010

“Intellectual Property Based Business Models,” Drake University MBA Seminar, Des Moines, IA, April 2009

“Understanding Patents and Trademarks: Business Basics,” Hospers, IA, July 2008

“USPTO Claims and Continuation Rules,” Iowa Intellectual Property Association Annual

Meeting, Iowa City, IA, October 2007

Additional publications in: Journal of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, Today’s Technician, Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, Pharmacy Student, Pharmakon Journal

Additional presentations at: Iowa Pharmacy Association Educational Expo, Iowa Technician Expo, College of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony (Keynote Speaker), Drake College of Pharmacy Dean’s Hour Courses

Bar & Court Admissions

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Iowa State Bar

Awards & Recognition

IP Stars, 2017-2021 recognition for “in-depth work and for spending time at board meetings for her clients to be considered part of the “’inner sanctum of various companies’” (Managing Intellectual Property legal directory)

Drake University Law School, Order of Barristers

Activities & Accomplishments

Drake University Board of Counselors, 2018-2021

Licensing Executives Society, Iowa Chapter; Past-Chair 2020; Chair, 2019; Chair-Elect 2018, Communications Chair 2018

AIPLA Biotechnology Committee, 2009-present

AIPLA Special Committee on the FDA, 2009-present

American Society for Pharmacy Law Education and Scholarship Committee, 2008-2010

IPA Public Affairs Policy Committee, 2009

Iowa Pharmacy Association Journal, peer reviewer, 2008-2011

Giles Sutherland Rich IP Moot Court Team Coach, Drake University, 2007-2010

National Moot Court Team Regional Champions and National Quarter Finalist,

2006-2007

Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, Junior Staff, 2006-2007

IP License Audits – Iowa LES Chapter Tackles the Issues

The Licensing Executive Society (LES) Iowa Chapter met on Monday April 29th in Coralville, Iowa, and took a deep dive into issues with auditing Intellectual Property (IP) license agreements. Other issues of IP valuation were also discussed by two accounting experts from Sikich. The discussions brought to the forefront issues commonly associated with IP license […]

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