LAW - 962A Licensing Intellectual Property

(3 hrs.)

Millions of patents, trademarks and copyrights are in force around the world, but very few will ever be litigated. Why, then, do companies and individuals spend scarce resources to procure these intellectual property assets? The answer, in large part, is licensing. Licensing is the principal means for deriving commercial value from intellectual property today. In this course, we will explore the practice and theory of intellectual property licensing in industries ranging from computer software, electronics and biotechnology to music, consumer goods and multimedia. In addition to licenses, we will cover related IP-based transactions such as materials transfers, joint ventures, patent pools and mergers & acquisitions. Throughout the course we will address the substantive legal doctrines that affect IP transactions including misuse, exhaustion, bankruptcy, and enforcement. The class will include several practice-oriented exercises such as contract review, analysis and negotiation. A basic understanding of intellectual property law (either through the IP survey or one or more advanced IP courses) is required.