Intellectual Property - Survey

Description:

This course provides an introduction to a variety of intellectual property laws, including the dynamic fields of copyright, trademark and patent law as well as the law of trade secrets. Students gain a basic understanding of the various forms of protection and the limitations to such protections. This course is meant both as an introduction to this field for those anticipating further study and as a survey of the area for those planning to practice in other areas of law. It is a formal prerequisite to most other I.P. classes.

Students enrolled in this class may select to have their grade based on either: (1) a series of four short memo assignments completed throughout the semester which may be used to satisfy the "B" paper requirement or the WIE requirement, along with a one-hour multiple choice exam at the end of the semester, or (2) a standard three-hour exam at the end of the semester. Student election of the grading method must be made at the end of the drop/add period. Students electing the papers option will be required to attend 3-5 separate sessions focused on writing craft throughout the semester. Class participation may also be considered in grading for the course.