COURSE DESCRIPTION 2012 2013

Prof. Andrew Beckerman-Rodau, Prof. Stephen Michael McJohn,

2 credits day; 2 credits evening. Professor Beckerman-Rodau: My course is primarily taught via an interactive-discussion method rather than by lecture. Class discussion will focus on cases, relevant statues and analysis of those materials via problems and hypotheticals. There is no assigned book for this class. All materials are provided in electronic form via Blackboard and via email. The exam for this course comprises objective questions. In addition to covering patent law, copyright law, trademark law and trade secrets law this class will cover the right of publicity. Professor McJohn: Intellectual property law provides an incentive for creativity, invention, and entrepreneurship. It also protects the rights of authors, inventors, and other innovators. This course covers the fundamentals of copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret. The class combines discussion of the legal materials and analysis of problems, with extensive use of images related to the cases. Class participation is not graded. There is an exam, which may vary in format from year to year. Intellectual property law protects creations of the mind: inventions, trade secrets, artistic creations, computer software, brand names and image/persona. This course will provide an overview of the US legal systems that protect such creations, with primary focus on patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret law. The course serves as a basic building block for more advanced intellectual property courses within the Intellectual Property Concentration curriculum. This course is strongly recommended as a precursor to Patent Law, Copyright Law, and Trademark Law.

Elective Course

Meets Health/Biomedical Concentration Requirements

Meets Intellectual Property Concentration Requirements

Final Exam Required

International and Comparative Legal Research