The Intellectual Property (IP) Clinic is a 2-credit course offered in Spring Semester. The IP Clinic provides members of the local community an opportunity to obtain legal assistance in matters involving intellectual property, such as copyrightable works, trademarks, patents, and confidentiality obligations. An important goal of the IP Clinic is to provide students with the opportunity to engage with clients on an array of IP-related issues.
The clinic will not handle litigation, arbitration, or any other type of dispute (though in some instances the IP Clinic may provide general advice and counsel so a client may independently assess the merits of a potential claim). Clinic clients may include artists, small businesses, students, authors, non-profit organizations, and solo inventors.
Students will attend weekly classes involving a mixture of discussing substantive intellectual property topics, preparing for forthcoming in-person client meetings, and reviewing past matters. In-class discussions will cover a variety of core IP issues that practitioners are likely to encounter. Take trademarks, for example: Emphasis will be placed on learning the capabilities and how to use https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks rather than studying statutory text and case law for the Lanham Act.
Beginning the second or third week of the semester, students will be expected to begin working directly with clients. Student attorneys will interview clients and engage in problem solving and counseling. Student performance will be evaluated based on classroom engagement, participation, client interaction, and class attendance.
Students will meet with clients in person or over zoom. Most client issues will be addressed during a 1-2 hour in-person meeting at the Law School. Depending on the complexity of the matters presented, clients may opt to return to a later workshop, or they may be referred elsewhere for representation. In some instances, the IP Clinic may provide legal services over the course of the semester.
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