Intellectual Property Certificate Requirements

The certificate program was established as part of the law school's effort to provide students with broad and deep exposure to intellectual property law, as well as to help prepare students for practice in the field. The certificate is awarded upon completion of at least 15 units of intellectual property or technology related courses, and a substantial research paper on an intellectual property or technology related topic. Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in graded certificate classes.

Intellectual Property Certificate Requirements

To qualify for the Intellectual Property Certificate students are required to take designated combinations of the foundation courses (Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Trademark and Unfair Competition Law, and Copyright). The remaining units may be satisfied by taking any of the Foundation Immigration Law Courses or Elective Courses as described below. Students also may petition the IP law faculty supervisors for certificate credit in IP Law related courses and activities which are not explicitly listed.

Independent or Group Study and Externships

Students may satisfy up to four units of the 15 units through independent study, group study, and/or an externship related to IP. Any group study (Law 498) must be approved by at least one intellectual property faculty member. A paper written for group study will not satisfy the writing requirement without prior approval from a supervising faculty member.

Writing Requirement

Students must write a writing-requirement-quality paper, approved by an IP faculty member, on an IP related law topic through a seminar, an independent study, or law review.  The paper should develop and defend a thesis and demonstrate original thought and analysis.  Students writing papers independent of a seminar should consult early with faculty on paper topics and must submit a proposed topic to the supervising faculty member by May of their second year of law school and submit a draft of the paper by December of their third year. Specific deadlines should be established with the Supervising IP faculty member.

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