Advanced Patent Law

3 units

Prerequisite: Patent Law. Contemporary patent practice requires mastery of a large and specialized body of legal doctrines, conceptual structures, and policy arguments. Designed to prepare students for a career in patent law--whether as a prosecutor, litigator, or a transactional attorney--Advanced Patent Law aims to help students obtain that mastery by both reinforcing and building on the knowledge conveyed in a basic patent course. It examines some topics introduced in the basic patent course in greater depth, and it introduces a range of new topics as well. It addresses different topics in different years, in part tracking "hot topics" and recent shifts in the law. Advanced Patent Law is designed as a complement to the Patent Drafting course, so it does not address the art of drafting claims or the procedures required to obtain patents from the PTO. The final exam is an in-school, open-book exam. 3 units.