Spring '08

Biotech & Chemical Patent - Laurence/Giddings
This course provides an analysis of the most important patent cases involving chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology related inventions. The relevance of these cases to patent preparation and prosecution strategies will be emphasized. Attention will also be given to the interpretation of patent claims directed to chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology related inventions. PREREQUISITES: Intellectual Property Survey. RECOMMENDED: Patent Law

Drafting- Patent - Maschoff
This course will provide students with an opportunity to obtain practical experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications. The course will examine substantive issues involved in drafting the written description for the patent application, such as enablement and best mode; drafting means plus function claims and other claim types; providing adequate support in the specification for the claimed invention; and procedural issues involved in the filing and prosecution of the patent application before the Patent and Trademark Office. Students will be required to draft a complete patent application for a mechanical invention. Both written (e.g., formal response to a first office action by the USPTO) and oral (e.g., conducting an Examiner Interview) final examinations will be given. PREREQUISITE: Patent Law. Limited Enrollment.

Intellectual Property Licensing - Brelsford
This course will examine, in-depth and from a legal practitioner perspective, the licensing of a variety of items of intellectual property - patents, trade secrets, trademarks and copyrighted materials. We will simulate the negotiation and drafting of complex IP licenses involving international corporations. The simulation will address definitional, delivery, warranty, support/maintenance, indemnity, payment, dispute resolution, international treaty and other issues. Limited Enrollment.

New Ventures (Year-long) - Chahine
The class will present an overview of the legal process of and issues involved in the commercializing technologies and launching new ventures. Students will also share their intern experiences in order to maximize their learning from their work. Grades will be based on students’ work product and/or recommendation of attorney-supervisor, class participation, and presentations at the end of each semester. The clinic will also provide opportunities to interface with inventors, corporate representatives, as well as outside patent and corporate counsel. Year-long enrollment required; FOUR credits total. RECOMMENDED: Lawyering Skills or Lawyering Skills/Legal Profession. See Clinical Brochure for further information on the New Ventures Clinic.

Patent Litigation - Cataxinos/Burton
This course will take students through a hypothetical patent lawsuit. No background in science or technical fields is required, as many patent litigators do not have such a background; however, the substantive patent course is a prerequisite. Limited enrollment. Pre-requisite: Patent Law OR Intellectual Property Survey

Seminar-Problems in Copyright Law - Reusch

The nature of copyright, subject matter protected, rights afforded to authors, and user' rights are explored through the application of the law of copyright to particular contexts. Topics may range from copyright protection for computer software to moral rights to fair use in a technological age. The first 4-6 weeks will be devoted to readings and overview of the law of copyrights; the balance of the semester will be devoted to exploration of topics selected by students for seminar papers. RECOMMENDED: Intellectual Property Survey

Fall '07

Biotech Law & Ethics - Rice
Biotechnology is an exceedingly promising tool for progress in medicine, agriculture and industrial products. Yet this young technology is highly controversial and fraught with legal and religious/ethical implications, particularly in human reproduction, cloning and bioengineered food and animals. The course is designed to cover broadly legal and ethical issues such as intellectual property, stem cell research, bioengineered food, gene therapy, drug law (especially the tension between branded and generic drugs) and criminal law ("DNA finger printing"). Students will not be expected to bring in-depth understanding of the legal or scientific principles involved. Students primarily interested in intellectual property law can expect to learn how biotech uniquely affects patent law. Students not primarily interested in patent law should learn how biotech broadly affects legal issues while learning some of the fundamentals of intellectual property.

Intellectual Property Survey - Schoenhard
This course will introduce students to the theory, doctrine, and institutions of the major intellectual property regimes, including copyright, patent, and trademark. Overall, the course seeks to examine the role of intellectual property law in the information age and its effects on science, the economy, culture and politics.

New Ventures (Year-long) - Chahine
The class will present an overview of the legal process of and issues involved in the commercializing technologies and launching new ventures. Students will also share their intern experiences in order to maximize their learning from their work. Grades will be based on students’ work product and/or recommendation of attorney-supervisor, class participation, and presentations at the end of each semester. The clinic will also provide opportunities to interface with inventors, corporate representatives, as well as outside patent and corporate counsel. Year-long enrollment required; FOUR credits total. RECOMMENDED: Lawyering Skills or Lawyering Skills/Legal Profession. See Clinical Brochure for further information on the New Ventures Clinic.

Patent Law - Maschoff
This course will provide students with an opportunity to study the substantive patent law issues which constitute conditions for patentability. Specifically, this course will explore the case law which has evolved in connection with the interpretation of several key statutory sections of Title 35 (the 1952 Patent Act), including section 101 (eligible subject matter and utility), section 102 (prior art, novelty, and loss of right), and section 103 (non-obviousness).

Trademarks & Unfair Competitions - Schoenhard
An examination of federal statutory and state statutory and common law regimes for protection of trademarks, including word and symbol marks, trade dress, dilution and miscellaneous unfair competition theories. Emerging issues relating to trademark law and the Internet, including Internet domain names, will also be covered.

Spring '07

Cyberlaw and E-Commerce - John Tehranian
This course presents an interdisciplinary examination of the emerging laws of cyberspace and e-commerce. Specific units of the course will focus on internet governance, content regulation, privacy, jurisdictional boundaries, intellectual property protection, e-commerce facilitation, and criminal and tortuous conduct in cyberspace. Overall, the course seeks to understand the legal framework regulating global digital networks and explore the broader social, political and economic significance of cyberspace.

International Intellectual Property Law - Bart Giddings and Kevin Laurence
This course provides an overview of multinational protection of intellectual property including patents, trademarks, and copyrights. The course explores marquee treaties and agreements governing the international protection of intellectual property and the multinational institutions operating under them. The course provides a comparative study of similarities and differences between U.S., European and Japanese patent systems in general and specifically with respect to biotechnology and computer related inventions. Harmonization objectives between U.S. and foreign legal systems will also be emphasized. A research paper will be required. PREREQUISITE: Intellectual Property Survey

Intellectual Property Licensing - Gregg Belsford
This course will examine, in-depth and from a legal practitioner perspective, the licensing of a variety of items of intellectual property - patents, trade secrets, trademarks and copyrighted materials. We will simulate the negotiation and drafting of complex IP licenses involving international corporations. The simulation will address definitional, delivery, warranty, support/maintenance, indemnity, payment, dispute resolution, international treaty and other issues. Limited Enrollment.

Patent Litigation - Burton and Cataxinos
This course will take students through a hypothetical patent lawsuit. No background in science or technical fields is required, as many patent litigators do not have such a background; however, the substantive patent course is a prerequisite. Limited enrollment. Pre-requisite: Patent Law

SEMINAR-Integrating Competition and Patent Law & Policy - Hilary Greene
This seminar will explore the relationship between the competition and patent regimes from the perspectives of law, policy, and administration. As the economy becomes increasingly knowledge-based, it becomes imperative that these two regimes complement one another. The goal of this course is to enable students to analyze the competitive (including antitrust), economic, and policy implications of patents and patent-related activities such as licensing arrangements, patent pools, standard setting, and settlements. The seminar will provide an understanding of the relevant law, a framework for assessing legal developments, and a basis for evaluating several contemporary patent/antitrust reform efforts.

Drafting- Patent- Maschoff
This course will provide students with an opportunity to obtain practical experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications. The course will examine substantive issues involved in drafting the written description for the patent application, such as enablement and best mode; drafting means plus function claims and other claim types; providing adequate support in the specification for the claimed invention; and procedural issues involved in the filing and prosecution of the patent application before the Patent and Trademark Office. Students will be required to draft a complete patent application for a mechanical invention. Both written (e.g., formal response to a first office action by the USPTO) and oral (e.g., conducting an Examiner Interview) final examinations will be given. PREREQUISITE: Patent Law. Limited Enrollment.