The Wait is Over: Registration for PatentX is Now Open!

11 de novembro de 2022

The long-awaited WIPO – Harvard Law School PatentX course is now open for registration on the WIPO eLearning Center. Registration closes on December 14, 2022.

Register for PatentX

PatentX is an online course that examines the complex relationships between intellectual property (IP) and public health, and the ways in which patent law and other legal frameworks might be interpreted to address more effectively ongoing and future global pandemics.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang and Prof. John F. Manning, Dean of Harvard Law School announced the launch of the PatentX course on November 10, 2022 at a hybrid ceremony. Over 450 individuals attended the launch event where WIPO officials and prominent professors from Harvard Law School gave thematic talks on topics relevant to the course content.

  • launch of the PatentX course

    WIPO panelists at the PatentX course launch on November 10, 2022. From right to left: Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of the WIPO Academy; Mr. Hasan Kleib, Deputy Director General of the Regional and National Development Sector of WIPO; Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO; Ms. Martha Chikowore, Counsellor at the WIPO Academy; Mr. Edward Kwakwa, Assistant Director General of the Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector of WIPO; and Ms. Emily Fraser, Program Officer at the WIPO Academy.

  • launch of the PatentX course

    WIPO Director General Daren Tang giving a welcome address at the PatentX course launch on November 10, 2022.

  • launch of the PatentX course

    Participants at the PatentX course launch on November 10, 2022.

  • launch of the PatentX course

    Professor John F. Manning, Dean of Harvard Law School, giving a welcome address at the PatentX course launch on November 10, 2022.

  • launch of the PatentX course

    Mr. Edward Kwakwa giving an address on “IP for Public Health” at the PatentX course launch on November 10, 2022

What does the course cover?

The course is divided into two parts covering the basics of patent law and how it may be reformed to mitigate the current public health crisis, and in the future to reduce the burdens of disease throughout the world.

Participants will have the unique opportunity to learn from faculty members trained by Harvard Law School, including instructors from the WIPO Joint Master’s Programs, about a range of topics such as:

  • the global health crisis;
  • how to improve pharmaceutical markets and IP; and
  • alternative incentive systems.

Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate jointly signed by WIPO and Harvard Law School.

Course on Patent Law and Global Public Health

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How to apply?

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for the course by submitting the following criteria:

  • educational qualifications (university degree(s) in any field);
  • descriptions of their relevant professional experiences (if any);
  • a recent curriculum vitae; and
  • a brief statement of motivation explaining why they wish to take the course.

All applications must be submitted online through the WIPO eLearning Center, and the course is offered free-of-charge to all participants. Only successful applicants will be notified of their admission into the course by the WIPO Academy.

The first session of PatentX will run from January 23 to April 7, 2023. For more information, please contact the course administration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The WIPO-Harvard PatentX course is offered free-of-charge to a limited number of participants. It is open to candidates with university degree(s) in any fields.

To be considered for admission, a candidate must submit an online application at the WIPO eLearning Center containing the following details:

  • Educational qualifications (university degree(s)) (mandatory)
  • Recent curriculum vitae (mandatory)
  • Description of relevant professional experience (optional)
  • A brief statement of motivation explaining why the candidate wishes to take the course (optional)

The duration of the course is 12 weeks.  It will be offered twice each year.  The first session will start in late January and end in April.  The second session will start in September and end in December. 

The course is designed primarily for government officials, nongovernmental policymakers, academics, post-graduate students, professionals in fields related to health care, and members of the public who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills in the field of IP and global public health.

Professors William Fisher and Ruth Okediji of Harvard Law School designed the curriculum and created most of the recorded lectures.  Additional lectures were contributed by experts from WIPO and other academic institutions.  Once a week, each participant will attend an online seminar, which will be taught by an expert in IP law and public health who has been trained jointly by WIPO and Harvard Law School.

Taking the course conscientiously requires approximately 5 hours of focused work per week.  Specifically, it entails:

  • 5 hours dedicated to watching the recorded lecture for the week;
  • 5 hours for participating in the weekly seminar;
  • 2 hours for reading the material in the syllabus.

Academic support is provided throughout the course by an experienced tutor trained and certified by HLS.

To be eligible for a certificate of completion, each participant must attend and engage actively in at least 10 out of the 12 weekly seminars.  

A written final examination will be administered approximately one week after the conclusion of each session of the course.  Participants who wish to take the examination will submit written responses via the WIPO eLearning platform.

Participants who satisfy the attendance requirement and pass the final examination will be awarded a certificate of completion jointly signed by WIPO and HLS.

Find out more