Patent Counseling & Strategy

Catalog description

Elective Course Prerequisite: Fundamentals of IP Course Requirement: assignments For hundreds of years, patents have served as a primary driver of technological innovation around the world, and advancements in various industries have repeatedly confronted the patent system with fascinating policy and doctrinal challenges. In a constant effort to keep up with the pace of innovation and ensure that the patent system fulfills its Constitutional purpose to ?promote the progress of . . . useful arts,? patent law has become one of the most rapidly evolving and adapting areas of American law. For those who wish to help innovators navigate through this ever-shifting landscape, understanding the basic legal principles, rules, and institutions of the patent system is a must. Thus, students in this course are expected to already have or be currently developing that basic background knowledge by taking any one of the following prerequisites or corequisites: Fundamentals of IP Law (prerequisite) Patent Law, Patent Drafting, or Patent Litigation (prerequisite or corequisite) Students who have otherwise obtained equivalent patent exposure or experience may be admitted to the class, with case-by-case approval by Prof. Brean. A technical background is not required for this course, but a willingness to intellectually engage with inventions and discoveries and their legal protection is a must. The goal of this course is to teach students how to apply their understanding of patent law in practical contexts. Students will strengthen their working knowledge and vocabulary about patent law to gain confidence in discussing the topics and issues, enabling them to provide valuable patent counseling and strategic guidance to clients, and to be more persuasive when communicating with opposing counsel, tribunals, or other fact finders. A major component of this course will be focused on writing…