Franklin Pierce Law Center (FPLC) (United States of America)
Teaching IP - Sample Curricula
| Courses | Graduate Programs in Intellectual Property:
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| The Master of Intellectual Property (MIP) and Diploma in Intellectual Property (DIP) | The one-year MIP and six-month DIP programs are designed for administrators, business executives and venture capitalists involved with, for example, licensing between entrepreneurs, universities, corporations and government laboratories, who need to understand IP fundamentals and for lawyers who need a better appreciation of practical considerations influencing optimal use of IP by their clients. The MIP and DIP are unique in that candidates may earn up to six semester credits of the 30 required credits through a variety of internship opportunities in commercial, governmental and legal settings. Many find the externships helpful in integrating coursework and bridging the gap between law and its application in day-to-day situations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Master of Laws in Intellectual Property (LL.M.) | The LL.M. (IP) is designed for law graduates who wish to examine the legally-sophisticated IP issues that often arise in policy-making or teaching. For such individuals, the functional equivalent of MIP internship is academic coursework. The candidates must complete 30 semester hours of resident course work. Candidates must have completed all requirements for the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) Juris Doctor (J.D.), or equivalent law degree, prior to enrollment. Courses completed in pursuit of any degree required to practice law or internships are not eligible for credit toward the LL.M. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Required Courses (MIP and LL.M. only) | Introduction Two-week introduction to the US legal system for non-US students. Focuses on Anglo-American common law, US court procedure in civil cases, and the structure of the US judicial system, including trail and appeal of intellectual property cases. Preparation for the Fall semester only (no credit). Contracts Forming legal binding agreements, allocating risks, designing performance, resolving disputes, remedying breaches (3 credits). Legal Research and Writing Basic manual and computerized techniques of research in US law and case law analysis. Analyzing IP problems and drafting legal memoranda. Introduction to civil procedure and principles of federalism (3 credits). Intellectual Property Advocacy Preparation of written and oral argument of a contested intellectual property issue. MIP and LL.M. only (2 credits). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elective courses | All students are required to study the core subject units which comprise first semester courses in Patent Law, Copyright and Designs Law, Law of Trade Marks and Unfair Competition, Competition Law and Basic Principles of English Law, Practice and Evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elective Options | Antitrust Law This course will examine the antitrust laws as they have been interpreted and applied. Explores the operation of the competitive market process, issues that have arisen in the marketplace, passage of the antitrust laws to deal with perceived problems in the market, and how the federal judiciary has construed these laws. Also discusses the international application of US antitrust laws, as well as the antitrust regulations of foreign countries (3 credits). Constitutional Law of the European Union Describes the regulatory framework of the 15 Member States of the European Union by providing an outline of the constitutional law of the European Union. Includes references to the various treaties concerned and their importance in international law and in particular to the Treaty of European union (2 credits). Cross-Cultural Negotiations for IP Disputes Skills for understanding how culture and language can effect business negotiations and dispute resolution (1 credit). E-Commerce and the Law This course will explore the emerging body of case and statutory law as it applies to the use of new information technologies in a commercial context. Covers electronic transactions, liability concerns, procedural issues and regulation (3 credits). Entertainment Law and Practice Overview of legal and business aspects in literary publishing, music, motion pictures, television, theater and new media (3 credits). Regulation of IP in the European Union Introduction to EU competition, intellectual property, and trade protection law, policy and structure (1 credit). Expert Witnesses and Scientific Evidence Examines the role of the expert witness in intellectual property disputes (3 credits). Intellectual Property Litigation Capstone course that culminates a progression of litigation-oriented courses. Focuses on the more advanced substantive, persuasion and lawyering skills necessary for ones development as a high-quality litigator in the IP realm. Prerequisites: Evidence, Trial Advocacy, Pretrial Patent Litigation, and Expert Witnesses & Scientific Evidence (3 credits). Intellectual Property Management Working with inventors conducting patent and trademark searches, managing intellectual property and promoting innovation, as well as other aspects of taking the initiative in intellectual property practice (2 credits). Intellectual Property Search & Research Tools An introduction to the manual and computerized search and research tools currently available in the United States of America and strategies for their effective use (2 credits). Intellectual Property Taxation Examines the tax implications of intellectual property in business context (1 credit). Intellectual Property Pretrial Practice Provides a framework for dealing with the realities of litigation in the intellectual property realm by looking at this process from its inception. Client counseling perspectives will be developed and strategic planning skills will be identified (3 credits). International and Comparative Patent Law International and regional treaties and non-US patent systems (2 credits). International Economic Regulation US and international mechanisms for regulating trade, including WTO, US International Trade Commission and Court of International Trade, and US Trade Legislation (1 credit). International Business Transactions Law and legal practice for doing business in another country (1 credit). International and Comparative Copyright Law Major international treaties involving copyright and international copyright relations (1 credit). International and Comparative Trademark Law Major international agreements covering trademarks and introduction to preparing filing trademark applications in different countries (1 credit). Licensing Patents and Trademarks Negotiating and drafting licensing agreements, including business and financial aspects from both licensors and licensees viewpoints (3 credits). Licensing Copyrights and Multimedia Negotiating and drafting licensing agreements, including business and financial aspects from both licensors and licensees viewpoints and rights management (3 credits). Patent Application Preparation & Prosecution Drafting complete patent applications, critically reviewed by instructor. Discussion of techniques and related patent prosecution topics (2 credits). Patent Practice & Procedure I Comprehensive and intensive training in preparing patent claims and actions (3 credits). Patent Practice & Procedure II Additional prosecution skills in the form of numerous exercises regularly undertaken or seen in the practice of patent law (2 credits). Regulation of Intellectual Property in Advertising Comparative advertising, rights of privacy and publicity, and Constitutional constraints on protection (2 credits). US Copyright Law Fundamentals of acquisition, scope, ownership transfer, limitations on and enforcement of US copyright law (3 credits). US Patent & Trade Secret Law Protecting property interests in technology through patent rights granted to inventors and contract rights created in trade secret agreements (3 credits). US Trademark Law & Practice Federal and other laws protecting commercial good will and avoiding consumer deception and management of a trademark portfolio (3 credits). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Practical Internships for MIP candidates | MIP candidates have the option of attending a third semester of practical experience, leading to professional competency through a series of internships at corporations, law firms and government agencies. Internships are tailored to their interests and arranged by the Law Center. Students have interned at these, among other, major corporations:
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| Academic requirements (MIP and DIP) | Applicants should have college or university-level training, or its equivalent in professional work experience. Applicants who intend to specialize in patent law should have completed a degree program in engineering, natural science or technology or have equivalent practical exercise. To qualify to practice patent agency in the US, they should have at least 30 semester hours of chemistry, physics, computer science, biology or engineering; a total of 40 semester hours in a combination of these subjects; or equivalent experience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Academic requirements (LL.M.) | Applicants must have completed their J.D. or equivalent law degree prior to enrollment. Admission will be based on clear evidence that an applicant can complete required coursework. For all programs, non-native speakers of English should have 550 (paper) or 213 (computer) score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or equivalent. Applicants are encouraged to take the TOEFL at an early date; examination information is available from the Law Center. Franklin Pierces institutional code for reporting the TOEFL score is 3396. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contact Information | Franklin Pierce Law Center Graduate Programs 2 White Street Concord, New Hampshire 03301 United States of America Tel.: (1 603) 228 1541 |
