Press
The McCurdy Laud team has been mentioned in various media outlets and featured in articles published by renowned publications.
Tribal Corp. IP Suit Highlights Sponsored Research Pitfalls
Law360 (January 26, 2022, 3:17 PM EST) — Sponsored academic research is an area that continues to grow year after year with total research expenditures reaching $83.1 billion in 2020. That’s an increase of 22.8% over the five years preceding 2020 and up from $77.2 billion from the most recent data available in August 2021.
Over 10,000 licenses or options were executed, and 933 new products were created in a single year. With the potential for groundbreaking developments, the contractual agreements governing sponsored research and ownership of sponsored research results are crucial — a fact Stanford University knows only too well and may be learning a second time, thanks to a new lawsuit by the Tulalip Tribal Federal Corp., or TTFC. …
How Can Colleges Advance Pledges of Racial Equity? A New Report Suggests Strategies
Following the killing of George Floyd, Catlan McCurdy, a lawyer and alumna of the University of Minnesota Law School, started a memorial scholarship in his name. She wanted to do something to “counterbalance the racial inequity in this country,” she told The Minnesota Daily, the university’s student newspaper. News of the scholarship prompted more than 400 additional donors to contribute to the fund, according to The Minnesota Daily. The university’s graduating Class of 2021 chose the scholarship as its class gift. …
Striking The Right Academic Research Deal As A Sponsor
Law360 (August 3, 2021, 3:51 PM EDT) — Funding of academic research in the U.S. is an area that continues to grow and can benefit both academic institutions as well as the entities funding the research.
Historically, sponsored academic research has been funded by two main sources, the federal government and members of industry, but the Association of University Technology Managers Inc.'s most recent licensing activity survey shows that "slow growth in federal and industry funding has been offset by faster growth from nonclassified sources such as nonprofit organizations and state and local governments." …
After The Hype: The Future For NFTs
Practically every day you hear about a new collectible NFT—short for the crypto world’s non-fungible token—on sale. A reworked Andy Warhol computer image from the 1980s sold for $870,000 at a Christie’s auction. The famous Charlie Bit My Finger video on YouTube, which holds a record with more than 885 million views, sold for $760,999. Still, all small potatoes.
Christie’s auctioned a work by digital artist Mike Winkelmann, known as Beeple, for more than $69.3 million.
When it comes to things like cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, it’s a crazy world and NFTs have become part of it. In May, people were buying and selling an estimated 85,787 NFTs—at a total value of $5.8 million—a day, according to application tracking firm DappRadar. …
George Floyd Memorial Scholarship Announced
With a generous gift from Catlan M. McCurdy ’11 and Sanjiv P. Laud ’12, and an equal match from the Law School, the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in Law was announced this week.
The endowed scholarship will provide critical financial support, allowing underrepresented students, and Black or African-American students in particular, to pursue careers in the law and achieve their dreams.
“Mr. Floyd’s killing was a tragic reminder of the inequity and injustice facing Black Americans today, despite the decades that have passed since the civil rights movement,” McCurdy and Laud observe in their statement announcing the establishment of the scholarship. They expressed a hope that recipients of this scholarship will join the legal profession and join Minnesota Law alumni in advocating for racial justice and equality. …
University of Minnesota Law School adds scholarship honoring George Floyd
The fund will support a student of color — particularly a black law student who’s pursuing a career in law — in hopes they can help diversify a largely white profession and help pursue racial justice.
The fund was started by two alumni, Catlan McCurdy and Sanjiv Laud, with a match from the U Law School. The married Minneapolis couple, who met at the school and are both lawyers, were inspired by North Central University, which hosted the Minneapolis memorial for Floyd and created a scholarship in his honor. …