Juris Doctor Intellectual Property

In the technology-driven, global economy, many of the most significant business transactions and legal disputes involve not physical assets but intellectual property: copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. The creation, maintenance, protection, and transfer of intellectual property are increasingly important not only to businesses and the national economy but also with regard to issues of social and economic justice. The UC Davis School of Law's Intellectual Property Law curriculum prepares students for this new world through a specialized curriculum devoted to the law of ideas, inventions, and other intangible forms of property.

The Intellectual Property curriculum offers instruction in everything from basics such as copyright, patents, and trademarks to emerging fields such as international intellectual property, e-commerce, and cyber law. Academic courses advance students’ understanding of world affairs through an analysis of international law, politics, and business. Students learn from a diverse team of internationally renowned scholars working on the cutting edge of intellectual property and passionately committed to the highest standards of legal education.

UC Davis School of Law specializes in creating practical legal experiences for all students. Many students participate in judicial externships, providing firsthand experience in an actual legal setting with the writing, research, and negotiation skills essential to a successful practice. Moot court competitions provide unique opportunities to develop trial and advocacy skills. Students also enhance their educations by participating in organizations or working on journals: King Hall sponsors approximately 40 student organizations and five scholarly journals.

While excellence in Intellectual Property has long been one of the hallmarks of UC Davis School of Law, the recent launch of the Center for Science and Innovation Studies takes the program to an even higher level. Research at the Center engages the many dimensions of the process of technoscientific innovation, with a special emphasis on Intellectual property. In addition, the School of Law recently launched an Intellectual Property Certificate program.