All About Timing: Invention Disclosures and Patenting

When it comes to protecting your innovation, timing is everything. This session will explore why early engagement with the TLO is key to maximizing IP protection potential. We’ll discuss the ideal moments to disclose your work, how timing can affect both patentability and publication, and what to consider as you plan research and commercialization activities in parallel. Whether you’re preparing to publish, present at a conference, or move toward a startup, you’ll gain practical best practices to help ensure your ideas are protected at the right time and positioned for the greatest impact.

About the Speakers

Paul D. Sorkin, Intellectual Property Portfolio Manager

Paul is a Patent Attorney who worked in private practice and in-house at a major computer corporation prior to joining MIT TLO. He has prosecuted hundreds of patent applications and successfully obtained protection in diverse areas including medical devices, signal processing systems, semiconductors, and network technologies. Paul has provided advice regarding strategies for patent protection both domestically and internationally. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University and worked in manufacturing as an engineer prior to attending Suffolk University Law School.

Leo Takaoka, Intellectual Property Portfolio Manager

Leo is a former in-house counsel with extensive experience in patent portfolio development and business strategy. He is well-versed in both legal and intellectual property functions aligned with business objectives, particularly within the fields of biotherapeutics, biologic formulations, and automated peptide manufacturing. Prior to his in-house role, Leo worked as a patent practitioner with a strong background in domestic and international patent prosecution, portfolio development and management, due diligence, patentability assessments, competitive landscape analysis, and freedom-to-operate analyses in the field of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, materials and life sciences. Before beginning his legal career, Leo worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a medicinal chemist with extensive oncology experience in small molecule drug discovery programs targeting protein-protein interactions and enzymes. His specialties include target and hit-to-lead validation, lead optimization, and structure-based drug design. He is also proficient in the multi-gram synthesis of complex small molecules and was instrumental in the discovery of compounds nominated for clinical development. Leo received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. He also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute and earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.