Biomedical Consulting Agreements: A Guide for Academics [Book Reviews]

If you are an academic working in the areas of biotechnology or pharmaceutical development, this brief text, written by a lawyer and an accomplished researcher, can be a good quick introduction to some of the ramifications of entering into a consulting or advising (or both) agreement with industry. The text should be useful for initial advice regarding the protection of your intellectual property (IP) and/or expertise, with the constraints imposed by your contract(s) with your university and other (if extant) obligations. If you are not in this area of endeavor and, for example, are looking for advice regarding general consulting agreements or seeking to use your expertise in lawsuits involving medical forensics, etc., this is not the book for you. Some of the following items are discussed in the ensuing chapterss: what constitutes consultings; what roles might the researcher play in a company, and what are the obligations involved; types of compensation; confidentiality agreements; IP agreements; and time obligations; termination agreements; and legal status issues; and any business obligations. The text concludes with an appendix consisting of a generic consulting agreement, followed by a glossary and notes pages.