J.D. Intellectual Property Emphasis Area Requirements

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

  • Be able to identify legal issues in intellectual property practice and apply basic principles of intellectual property law necessary to resolve those issues. Assessed by essay tests, graded with rubrics, in required courses.
  • Be able to use specialized knowledge of intellectual property doctrine to resolve emerging issues in the field. Assessed by tests or papers, graded with rubrics, in elective courses.
  • Be able to research advanced topics in the field and use that research to solve a focused, complex issue in the field. Assessed by faculty critique of the research paper requirement and re-writing until paper is of faculty-agreed standard of quality.

Student will have to take a total of 16 credit hours from the below mandatory and elective courses. All courses must be taken for a grade (with the exception of those courses for which a grade option is unavailable).

Required

The following class must be taken:
LAW 8808Intellectual Property Law2-3
At least two of the following must be taken:
LAW 8797Business Torts and Unfair Competition2-3
LAW 8798Copyright Law2-3
LAW 8882Patent Law2-3

Electives (The remaining hours to be satisfied from the following)

LAW 8798AArt Law2-3
LAW 8808LIntellectual Property Licensing2-3
LAW 8808SIntellectual Property Remedies2-3
LAW 8853Seminar in Law Science & Technology2-3
LAW 8882RPatent Prosecution2-3
LAW 8901Advising Life Sciences and Technology Entrepreneurs1-2
LAW 8905Intellectual Property Litigation2
LAW 8907Seminar in Advanced Trademark2-3

No more than one of the following can count toward the required 16 credit hours: LAW 8910 Intellectual Property Clinic, Technology Transfer Externship, or LAW 8757N Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (with IP faculty advisor approval).

Other courses may be approved by the IP faculty advisor to count towards the Emphasis. Where a course includes a substantial component of IP law, part of that course may count towards the 16-hour requirement with advance approval from the IP faculty advisor.

The above requirements are in addition to any hours received in connection with completion of the Advanced Research Requirement (See below).

Advanced Research Requirement

A paper satisfying the R&W requirement or an equivalent independent study writing project (including law review notes or comments) must be undertaken by writing on an IP subject, which subject has been approved by the student's IP faculty advisor. This requirement may also be satisfied through the writing of a professional quality brief as a team member in the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition or, with the approval of the student's IP faculty advisor, by writing of a professional quality brief in another equivalent IP competition that has a brief writing component.

Class papers do not satisfy this requirement, but may be expanded as an independent paper or the R&W paper, with approval of the IP faculty advisor, the expanded paper may satisfy this requirement. Any credits earned through satisfaction of this writing requirement will NOT be counted towards the 16 hours.

Practical Skills Requirement

Students must complete at least one course containing a substantial practical skills component. A course used to satisfy the practical skills requirement can also count toward the 16 hours of required coursework. The following courses satisfy this requirement:

LAW 8757NEntrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (with IP faculty advisor approval)3
LAW 8910Intellectual Property Clinic2
LAW 8808LIntellectual Property Licensing2-3
LAW 8905Intellectual Property Litigation2
LAW 8882RPatent Prosecution2-3
Technology Transfer Externship

Alternatively and with approval of the IP faculty advisor, the requirement may be met by other internships, externships, moot courts, simulation courses, drafting courses, or other courses or activities designed to provide exposure to type of work we performed as IP lawyers in the field.

Ethics Requirement

Ethical considerations will be incorporated into the listed required emphasis area courses.

Important Note: Because the School is committed to keeping up with changes in the practice of law, the requirements for emphasis areas may change during the course of a student's enrollment at the School. The requirements at the time a student is granted admission into the emphasis area are the requirements that govern completion of the student's emphasis requirements. For possible revised requirements that will take effect with the next academic year, ask the emphasis area advisor for the most recent iteration of requirements.  A course not listed above can meet emphasis area requirements if approved by the emphasis area advisors, Professors Jasmine Abdel-khalik, Chris Holman, and Paul Callister.