Requirements for the J.D. Certificate Program in Intellectual Property Law
I. CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENT
The Intellectual Property Law Certificate program requires that
the Certificate student complete 20 credit hours of approved
course work in Intellectual Property Law.
II. COURSES THAT QUALIFY
A. Mandatory Courses
The student must complete each of three core Intellectual Property courses:
IP certificate students at Chicago-Kent are required to participate in a "capstone" experience in their third year to give them a sense of real-world IP practice. Students work on actual or simulated cases to help them develop a realistic perspective on contemporary practice. The Capstone Experience requirement may be satisfied by taking any one of the following ways:
For most students, the Capstone Experience will be fulfilled in the last year before graduation. The new Strategies in IP class will be offered only in the Spring semester. The Intellectual Property—Patent Clinic will typically be offered in both Fall and Spring semesters. And IP Externships may also be completed during the Fall or Spring semesters.
In addition to these mandatory courses, the student must complete eight credit hours from the following listed optional courses. The student may choose from two lists of optional courses:
B. Optional courses for full IP credit
For these courses, students receive full credit towards the total credit hours required for the IP certificate.
C. Optional Courses for partial IP Credit
For these courses, students receive full credit toward their JD degree, but only partial credit for the purpose of the IP certificate.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COURSES ARE NOT TAUGHT IN EVERY SEMESTER.
Additional optional courses may be added in the future.
Other than Strategies in Intellectual Property Law, no class that counts for credit toward the IP certificate may be taken pass/fail.
Requests for credits for courses taken at summer programs not administered by Chicago-Kent College of Law will be considered on a case by case basis. We recommend that you discuss the possibility of credit with the Director before registering for such programs.
III. PAPERWORK
A. Letter of Intent: Every prospective IP Certificate student must fill out a Letter of Intent in order to register to be in the Intellectual Property Certificate Program. Please return completed Intent Letters to Professor Graeme Dinwoodie, Director of the Intellectual Property Program in Room 729. Filling out the Letter of Intent does not obligate you to complete the program, but it does register you as a member of the Intellectual Property Law Program. This gives you priority in the registration process for all of the Intellectual Property Law courses. It also ensures that you get on the e-mail list to receive notice of upcoming events in the Intellectual Property Law Program.
B. Application for the Certificate in Intellectual Property Law: The application is only to be completed in the final semester prior to graduation. It will not be accepted at any earlier time. The application is used by the Registrar to verify that the student completed the course work required for the Intellectual Property Law Certificate. If any of the information on this application changes, please submit an updated application.
IV. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MOOT COURT
A. National / Regional Moot Court Competitions
There are four Intellectual Property Moot Court competitions in which Chicago-Kent students typically compete:
| 1. |
The Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition (Patent Law ) |
| 2. |
The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition (Trademark Law) |
| 3. |
The Cardozo/BMI Entertainment and Communications Law Moot Court Competition (Copyright Law) |
| 4. |
Pepperdine Copyright Moot Court Competition |
To be eligible to participate in the Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court competition, students must compete in the Chicago-Kent Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition.
To be eligible to compete in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, the Cardozo/BMI Moot Court Competition, or the Pepperdine competition, students must either compete in the Chicago-Kent Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition or must compete in the Moot Court Honor Society Summer Candidacy Program.
B. The Chicago-Kent Patent Law Moot Court Competition
The problem for the competition will be distributed in November. The competition will take place in January. All students who participate through the “Practice Before the Federal Circuit” course will receive one pass/fail credit. This credit will count towards the Intellectual Property Certificate. There is no minimum GPA requirement for participating in the Patent Law Moot Court Program. However, the following requirements must be met:
| 1. |
The student must have completed Legal Writing 2; |
| 2. |
The student may not have participated in more than two semesters in the Moot Court Honor Society; |
| 3. |
The student must adequately complete briefs per competition rules as determined by the faculty coach; and |
| 4. |
The student must compete in at least two oral arguments, one argument on each side. |
No student who competes in the Chicago-Kent Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition as a required part of a course will get additional IP moot court credit.
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