Seminar in Intellectual Property

In General: The theme of this seminar is international Intellectual property, for which each student will write a paper on an aspect of the subject in its global, transnational, or comparative dimension. I will teach this class exclusively on-line.

Class Sessions: For our class sessions, I plan to invite recognized experts in the field. As for the format, each speaker will present the topic in the first hour. For the second hour (after a short break), we will have a question and answer period. I will assign readings pertaining to the subject of the day and I expect that each student participates in the discussion hour. Last year for example, our guests covered subjects such as non-conventional trademarks, the intersection of IP and competition law, the extraterritorial application of U.S. patent law, and the new European directive on digital copyright. I was particularly impressed by the intellectual level of student participation. This year I plan to have an equally interesting group of internationally known speakers who will talk about a varied assortment of IP issues.

Grading: Each student will write a paper on his or her chosen subject. I am flexible on the length of the paper. My only requirement is that it concentrate on an issue of international IP. I will also consider each student s class participation as part of the grade. Attendance is mandatory.