KU Law News
KU Law News
June 3, 2009
Professor makes intellectual property presentation at OECD
View of Paris
OECD headquarters
Andrew W. Torrance
Hearing Frank Sinatra crooning Cole Porter’s famous song “I Love Paris in the Spring Time” tends to evoke images of climbing the Eiffel Tower, strolling along the banks of the Seine River or relaxing in a corner café. Few would immediately think of briefing representatives of the leading industrialized countries on the legal issues raised by the new field of synthetic biology.
However, this spring Andrew. W. Torrance, associate professor of law, did more of the latter than the former.
Torrance, who received his Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University prior to attending Harvard Law School, was invited by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to provide expert advice on synthetic biology. He made a formal presentation, “Synthesizing Law for Synthetic Biology,” at a meeting May 4-5, 2009, in Paris. The workshop, “Collaborative Mechanisms for Intellectual Property Management,” convened at OECD headquarters to provide expert guidance on how collaborative mechanisms might create efficiencies in the use of intellectual property to stimulate innovation, foster research and development, and promote commercialization of products and services in OECD member-countries.
“I was surprised, but delighted, to receive an invitation to advise the OECD,” Torrance said. “I was extremely honored to be included among the other experts, country delegates and OECD officials, and to have the opportunity to work with them to help formulate strategies for how law might successfully promote and safely regulate transformative technologies like synthetic biology.”
Torrance was invited to present along with other senior level executives and decision-makers from diverse backgrounds, including industry, government, university/research and the public sector with expertise in life sciences/biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, environment, information technology, nanotechnology, law, intellectual property, anti-trust/competition and other areas.
Torrance, who joined the KU Law faculty in 2005, is a graduate of Harvard Law School and, prior to that, received his Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University in 1997. He earned his bachelor’s in biology at Queen’s University in Canada. He practiced biotechnology patent law at Fish and Richardson P.C., the world’s largest intellectual property law firm, and then served as in-house patent counsel to Inverness Medical Innovations, a leading multinational biotechnology company. His course offerings contribute to KU Law’s programs in intellectual property, patent law, food and drug law, and biodiversity law.
The OECD is one of the world’s most exclusive economic clubs, and brings together the governments of the 30 most-developed countries from the around the world. It is committed to promoting democracy and economic prosperity. It also helps support sustainable economic growth, boost employment, raise living standards, maintain financial stability, assist less-developed countries’ economic development and contribute to growth in world trade.
The organization provides a setting where governments compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and coordinate domestic and international policies.