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Intellectual
Property Concentration: Overview |
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Click HERE for Concentration
Requirements in Intellectual Property
 Amid a proliferation
of novel technologies and new media, demand for expertise in intellectual
property law has boomed. As new technologies enter the marketplace,
they have a huge impact on individuals, businesses and lawyers, who
are increasingly called upon to secure, regulate, and litigate those
rights which stem from such innovation. It is vital that the lawyers
being educated today are cognizant of these rapidly-changing developments
and are given the skills and training to be able to adapt to this
evolving landscape.
The Intellectual Property Concentration at Drexel University Earle Mack School
of Law is positioned to provide that training.
The practical purpose of the Intellectual Property Concentration is to create
a community of students, law faculty, adjunct faculty, and members of the legal
and business world who want to think seriously about what lawyers do when confronted
with new and existing issues pertaining to intellectual property. A new lawyer
entering the world of intellectual property law must have the knowledge and understanding
to address a range of issues, such as helping a start-up business secure its
new inventions by shepherding them through the patent prosecution process, advising
a telecom company about whether a rival company’s new product infringes
on its copyright protected property or litigating a claim on behalf of a prominent
actor who believes that her contractual profit participation amounts due for
the exploitation of her image are not being honored by the hiring studio. Having
received training in theoretical, simulated, and real-life practical application
settings, the student certified as
having successfully completed the Intellectual Property Concentration will be
able to offer her prospective employer the assurance that she will have the appropriate
skill sets to succeed in her new environment.
The theoretical and doctrinal aspects of the concentration curriculum are taught
primarily by members of the Law School’s full-time faculty,
including Concentration Director, Professor
Rex Glensy who focuses on the soft IP subjects (such as Copyright, Trademark
and Unfair Competition, and Entertainment Law). Other members of the law faculty
teaching in the concentration include Professor
Karl Okamoto who, as the director of Entrepreneurial Business Concentration
focuses on the business-related courses. In addition to the full-time faculty,
the Concentration is capitalizing on the richness of talent and experience that
can be found just yards away from the Law School’s front door among the
Philadelphia legal community who serve as the concentration’s adjunct
faculty. For example, we are honored to benefit from the expertise of Distinguished
Practice Professor Stephen Rocci, partner at the premier intellectual property
law firm Woodcock Washburn, who has already taught courses in Patents and Patent
Litigation. Furthermore, members of the business and IP law community (such as
corporate counsels, law firm partners and members of the judiciary) are also
serving as members of the concentration Board
of Advisors, providing guidance in the development of the concentration and
its programs. All of these resources combine to give the students a firm doctrinal
grounding in the core Intellectual Property disciplines.
The curriculum of
the Intellectual Property Concentration also includes important “hands-on” components.
These components include the practicum and co-op
programs. The practicum option
allows students to participate in real world simulated problems such
as a trademark prosecution to the federal administrative agency,
or a negotiation with a studio for movie rights to a published novel.
These scenarios involve role playing techniques as well as a general
focus on the practical aspects of being a lawyer. The IP
co-op option places a student at a law firm, or a business, to
practice intellectual property law for real clients under the supervision
both of specialized personnel from the law school and in-the-field
practitioners. These invaluable six-month internships will form the
backbone of introducing the student to the actual skills necessary
to become a successful intellectual property lawyer.
The ethos of the Intellectual Property Concentration can be best summarized as
being a complete integration of doctrine and application. Through a mutually
reinforcing emphasis on the rules and policies of Intellectual Property protection
on the one hand, and the application of those principles to the dynamic world
of IP practice on the other, the goal is to provide the student with the most
rounded and complete education in the subject matter. The combination of scholarly
work, theoretical exploration, and practical hands-on experience provides the
ideal learning environment where scholars, legal practitioners, business persons,
and students can all interact in a symbiotic collaborative process. In this way,
our students will be able to meet the challenges of the modern IP practice successfully
when they embark on their legal careers. |
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