Founded in 1995, the Intellectual Property Law Concentration ("IP Law Concentration") was the first academic concentration established at Suffolk University Law School. Since its inception, Suffolk's IP Law Concentration, formerly the High Technology Law Concentration, has developed one of the most comprehensive programs in the country, giving students the opportunity to take advanced courses in each branch of intellectual property law: patent law, copyright law, trademark law and trade secrets. Suffolk's cutting edge program is built around a core of intellectual property law, supplemented by skills-based training. Participation in the IP Law Concentration provides students with a strong theoretical and practical foundation through which to develop long term career objectives, as well as intellectual interests.
The IP Law Concentration is designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of students. For those who have an interest in qualifying for the patent bar, Suffolk provides advanced training in patent prosecution and office practice. Our Patent Law Specialization is designed to recognize eligible students with these qualifications and provide them with a certificate in this particular area of law. And, while the field of patent prosecution is restricted to students who have a strong background in the sciences or engineering, careers in other fields of intellectual property law may be pursued by students with a non-scientific background.
Suffolk's ground-breaking IP Law Concentration curriculum offers an extensive array of courses germane to the intellectual property practitioner. One course considers the special problems of counseling patent clients, emphasizing ethical as well as legal and business concerns. Suffolk was one of the first law schools in the country to offer a course entitled Litigating Technology Disputes, which focuses on tactics and strategies relevant to serving the intellectual property client in the litigation setting. Suffolk was also one of the first law schools in the country to offer a course in the licensing of intellectual property law. Suffolk is one of only a handful of law schools to offer a skills-based course in cyberlaw, as well as a more theoretically oriented course in Internet law. Courses on counseling the technology-leading enterprise and the law and practice of licensing are also featured.
The programmatic opportunities for concentrators with an interest in international practice are equally diverse and far-reaching. The Law School offers international business transactions courses that cover the global dimensions of software protection and trade issues affecting these new technologies. And, for those who wish to pursue international intellectual property practice even further, beyond the J.D., Suffolk offers an innovative, multi-disciplinary LL.M. program in Global Technology .
Students who elect to participate in the IP Law Concentration are also afforded the opportunity to put their course learning into practice. Prior concentrators have completed internships with numerous entities, including the Computer Crime Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, the Cisco Corporation, the BOSE Corporation and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Information Technology. New internship opportunities are being continuously developed for concentrators within both public and private sector settings. Concentrators are encouraged to pursue internships for both the immediate learning experience and the long term potential for future employment.
Further opportunities to enhance concentrators' interest in intellectual property law exist in related Law School organizations. The Intellectual Property Law Student Association sponsors frequent events and programs for those involved in the intellectual property area, while the Journal of High Technology Law serves as a vehicle for both concentrators and other Suffolk law students to pursue substantive and pioneering topics in intellectual property research and writing.
Suffolk holds a Summer Institute at the University of Lund in Sweden each year and several courses regularly offered in Lund qualify for the IP Law Concentration. During previous summers Suffolk has offered Concentration courses in international intellectual property, global Internet law and international business transactions. In addition, the Institute features visits to biotech firms, the Denmark Supreme Court in Copenhagen and the Appeals Court in Malmo, Sweden. The Summer Institute in Lund offers a three-week term, which affords Intellectual Property students a unique opportunity to take high-tech related courses along with students from Sweden, Germany and other United States law schools.
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IP NEWS OF NOTE
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Listen to a podcast from IP Law Concentration Co-Director and Professor of Law Michael Rustad
The Intellectual Property Concentration has recently joined forces with our award-winning Center for Advanced Legal Studies to offer an Intellectual Property Law Certificate for a variety of legal professionals. For more information on this exciting new opportunity, go to Intellectual Property Law Certificate.
The Intellectual Property Concentration recently launched a new podcast series focusing on patent law, copyright law, trademark law, and trade secrets. The series features Suffolk Law faculty and graduates, as well as IP practitioners.
Download the podcasts from our iTunes U site.
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