The concentration in intellectual property law emphasizes information, analytical tools and skills lawyers require in representing clients' intellectual property needs. It offers students the opportunity to specialize in courses that will expose them to the legal and practical issues that arise in intellectual property law.
Students who wish to receive this concentration will complete a minimum of 10 hours of intellectual property law courses with a satisfactory grade (C or higher) as outlined below. Students should consult with the concentration advisor to tailor their course selection to their particular interests. It is anticipated that students attending the full-time program will be able to complete the concentration requirements within the existing scheduling schema. Part-time students may also be able to earn the concentration with advanced planning but may need the ability to take an occasional course offered before 6 p.m.
Concentration Requirements
Students will select at least one (1) of the following core Intellectual Property Law courses:
- Copyright
- Patent Law
- Trademark and Unfair Competition or Seminar: Trademark. Note: students may not take both of these courses.
Students will complete at least 4 additional credit hours of intellectual property courses. The courses below are examples of courses offered recently or currently that would fulfill this requirement. Courses with * also satisfy the Practice Requirement; courses with ** also satisfy the Writing Requirement. Note: While the core courses are also listed below, taking a single core course will not count as a both a core and an elective; however additional core courses will count as electives.
- Anatomy of a Patent *
- Copyright
- Entrepreneurship Law
- International Business Transactions
- Patent Law
- Sports Law **
- Trademark and Unfair Competition
- Seminar: Copyright and New Media *
- Seminar: IP of Creative Businesses**
- Seminar: International Intellectual Property Law**
- Seminar: Law and the Regulation of Science**
- Seminar: Trademark **
Additional courses and seminars may meet the elective requirement with approval of the program adviser.
Students seeking the Concentration must complete at least one course with a significant “scholarly” writing requirement related to an area of Intellectual Property Law. In addition to the electives indicated above (**), this requirement can be fulfilled in an Intellectual Property seminar, a non-Intellectual Property seminar (for which the student’s written work is on an Intellectual Property topic), directed research (with Intellectual Property written work) or journal note. The program advisor will determine whether a certain written work component meets this requirement. Students are advised to speak with the IP Concentration advisor regarding their writing topic to confirm that it will meet the concentration requirement.
Each student is required to participate in a course or activity that applies intellectual property theory in a practice setting approved in advance by the concentration adviser. This requirement assists in the integration of the student's coursework into actual legal work. The practical component may be fulfilled through a simulated or actual client representation with an intellectual property focus. In addition to the electives indicated above (*), courses fulfilling this requirement include:
- Intellectual Property Law Research
- Giles S. Rich Moot Patent Court Competition
- Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court Competition
- Entrepreneurship & Intellectual Property Clinic
In certain circumstances, students are allowed to fulfill this requirement through the performance of intellectual property-based legal work on a voluntary or paid basis.
Students planning to take a specific class or seminar to satisfy the written work or practice components of the Concentration should confirm with the Faculty Advisor in advance that it meets the relevant requirements.