Courses in Intellectual Property Law

Advance Intellectual Property Law Seminar

LAW 364

This course is designed to allow students who are already familiar with patent law basics to delve more deeply into practical issues and policy perspectives on patent law through the lens of recent developments. Our readings will be drawn from then-current materials, including materials from pending cases, recently decided cases, and legal scholarship, which may include drafts of unpublished articles. Specific issues to be explored will depend on student input and current events. Seminar participants will be expected to write multiple short response papers during the semester, based on what we read and discuss.

Art and Law

LAW 344

Examines intellectual, personal and cultural property issues raised by the ownership and management of art and artifacts by discoverers, creators, museums, and institutions.

Competitive Intellectual Property Appellate Advocacy

LAW 539

Students will participate in an interscholastic intellectual property moot court competition in compliance with the rules and regulations of such competitions. Credit will be offered only for one semester even if work spans more than one semester. Enrollment will be dependent on approval by a faculty advisor and/or adjunct couches. Enrollment will be limited to competing students and the course will be offered only in instances when the school will field a team.

Computers and the Law Seminar

LAW 306

An exploration of the diverse legal standards governing the development, acquisition, and use of computers with emphasis on how courts adapt traditional laws to new technology and respond to social harms resulting from computer misuse.

Copyright Law

LAW 701

Analysis of statutes and treaties governing rights in original works of authorship (such as books, plays, movies, paintings, sculpture, music, sound recordings and computer software), including protected subject matter, works made for hire, infringement, fair use, moral rights, federal preemption of state law, and remedies.

Entertainment Law

LAW 704

An examination of the legal aspects of entertainment, including requirements for contracts and agreements between parties involved in the industry.

Feature Film Financing

LAW 911

This class focuses on the legal aspects of financing feature films. The first topic addressed is the acquisition and protection of creative content, including: clearances, chain of title, options and the screenplay agreement. Following is an analysis of why most films lose money , the calculation of gross and net receipts, as well as the details of accounting in the film industry. Three specific film financing models are discussed: the studio financed P & D deal, commercial financing with, or without, distributor pre-sale contracts, and private investor financing, The course concludes with a discussion of international co-productions, foreign film grants and tax driven film funds.

Information Privacy Seminar

LAW 365

This course will examine the law governing the use, aggregation and dissemination of personal information by private and governmental entities. Topics covered will include: the various definitions and understandings of the meaning of privacy; the origins and development of privacy law (statutory, Constitutiional and common law); the impact of technology and national security concerns on information privacy; and specific topics such as government surveillance, Internet monitoring and profiling, and the use of personal informatiion by the direct marketing industry. Paper requirement in lieu of final examination.

Intellectual Property Litigation

LAW 717

Examines problems involved in representing clients in pretrial and at trial in intellectual property cases, including factual investigation, negotiation, and specialized discovery and evidentiary problems. Special emphasis will be placed on the interrelationship between various types of intellectual property. PRE-REQ: At least one of the core courses, Law 701 Copyright, Law 702 Trademark, or Law 703 Patent Law.

International Trademark Law

LAW 707

A study of international treaties and trade agreements involving trademark law. Topics include extraterritorial enforcement of trademark laws, conflict of laws, Paris Convention, Madrid Agreement, GATT/TRIPS trademark provisions, the role of the WTO, and comparative law. PRE-REQ: Law 702 Trademarks Law.

Internet Law

LAW 590

Internet activity is now engaged in by hundreds of millions of individuals and businesses of all sizes requiring 21st century lawyers to have an understanding of the legal issues in the cyber domain. This course will explore a range of legal issues in cyber domain, including cyber security, privacy, network ownership and access, private versus public regulation of cyberspace, speech in cyberspace, content as property and intellectual property in cyberspace, jurisdiction over cyberspace activities, liability of intermediaries, state and local regulation of cyberspace, and the interrelationship between technology and law as mechanisms of regulation. In so doing, the course will be applying numerous rules and doctrines that many law students have already covered (or will soon cover) in their required courses during the first year of law school, such as torts (e.g. trespass to chattels), property (e.g. Takings Clause), constitutional law (e.g. dormant Commerce Clause), and civil procedure (e.g. personal jurisdiction), to name a few. However, students will see that the cyber context often challenges the premises behind the existing rules and doctrines, or at a minimum provide a challenging environment in which to apply those rules and doctrines. At the same time, students will learn some of the highly specialized rules created by statute governing cyber activities.

Licensing & Technology Transfer

LAW 709

An examination of the application of contract law to intellectual property, and the legal and practical difficulties involved in obtaining rights clearances and drafting and enforcing licenses.

Music Law

LAW 939

This course provides you with a

Patent Drafting

LAW 592

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of drafting effective patent applications. Students will acquire an understanding of patent concepts, patentability requirements, different patent types and parts of a patent application, drafting a patent application; and the technical and legal strategies for prosecuting the application before the U.S. Patent Office. Options for obtaining worldwide patent protection, patent litigation and the related licensing and transactional matters may be also covered in less detail.

Patent Law

LAW 703

In this course, we will explore the major topics of U.S. patent law, seeking a solid general education in patent law concepts and procedures from a practical and policy perspective. Topics covered will include patentable subject matter, requirements for patent validity, patent infringement, and damages. Grading will be based on class participation, and a final examination.

Patent Prosecution

LAW 710

An introduction to the basics of drafting patent applications and supporting documents, and the prosecution of patents before the Patent and Trademark Office. PRE-REQ: LAW 703 Patent Law.

Rights of Publicity

LAW 715

An analysis of statutory and case law recognizing a right of celebrities and others to control the use of their names and likenesses for commercial purposes. Topics include the scope of the right, identification, infringement, and relationship to other types of intellectual property, and defenses, including First Amendment implications.

Sports Law

LAW 549

This course examines a wide range of legal issues and relationships in the sports industry, including player negotiations and contracts, leases, licensing, leagues, franchising, and intellectual property issues in sports law. This course is offered as a 3 or 4 unit course. Students who take the course for 4 units shall receive Intellectual Property elective credit by, in addition to meeting all other course requirements, completing a substantial research paper on an intellectual property-focused topic. Students who take the course for 3 units will not receive IP elective credit.

Trade Secret Law

LAW 712

Trademark Law

LAW 702

An examination of common law and statutory limitations on unfair and deceptive competition outside the scope of antitrust laws. Topics include trademark law (including trademark dilution), of misappropriation of trade values and trade secrets, regulation of false and deceptive advertising, unfair competition, and interference with contracts and trade relations.

Video Game Law Seminar

LAW 375

Video games are one of the fastest-growing segments of the entertainment industry today. This class will focus primarily on intellectual property law through the lens of video game-related litigation, and will address the ways in which video games and the video game industry shape law and society. It will also address the video game business, the structure and form of video-game-related legal transactions, and other current legal issues surrounding video games, such as the First Amendment, privacy, and child protection.