LLM-IIP: International Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) impacts business and industries as well as our everyday lives in many regards. Business and industries need protection for their inventions and brands, for their motion pictures, computer programs, musical and entertainment products. This is brought about by intellectual property law, such as patent law, trademark law, and copyright law.

IP laws are national laws; their effects are restricted to the territory of the country that has enacted the respective laws. On the other hand, intellectual property is international, it does not know any national borders. This raises
the question of how an IP-owner will be protected in foreign countries. That is achieved by international conventions and treaties according to which the member states take the obligation to protect the nationals of other member states.

The course will deal with this system of international conventions and treaties in the field of copyright and neighboring rights, patents, trademarks, and geographical indications, unfair competition and trade secrets. Finally, we will deal with the international enforcement of intellectual property rights.

• Credit value: 3 (US standard) | 6 (ECTS standard)
• Indicative duration (full time): 4-6 weeks
• Indicative duration (part-time): 5-8 week
• Certificate: Yes

This course is based on standard EUCLID methodology. Students may refer to the following resources:

Academic Guidelines (HQ version)
Academic Guidelines (most recent version even if unofficial)
Student Orientation Guidelines (most recent version even if unofficial)
Zotero instructions for EUCLID students

At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

• Discuss major IP organizations and conventions
• Discuss WIPO mechanisms
• Discuss European considerations of IIP
• Discuss other/global considerations of IIP.

Some of the course material is provided in PDF format. Textbooks include:

• WIPO Handbook
• International Intellectual Property Law – Cases (Goldstein)
• Select academic papers