The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; the University of Augsburg; the Technical University of Munich (TUM); the George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
MIPLC classes are taught entirely in English. Likewise, any interaction with the MIPLC administration takes place in English, so that a knowledge of German is not necessary.
At the moment, online or hybrid modes of study are only available to students who are awaiting their visas or are unable to attend due to illness.
Regular applicants: Intake open from 1 December to 30 April
Applicants for the DAAD scholarship "Development-Related Postgraduate Courses": Intake open from 1 June to 15 October of the previous year
The tuition fee for the LLM programme in "Intellectual Property and Competition Law" is 39,500 EUR for the entire year of studies.
Please visit our website for more information.
The Munich Intellectual Property Law Center's (MIPLC) Master of Laws programme offers unique and innovative, international and interdisciplinary coverage of intellectual property (IP) and competition law. It aims to educate the next generation of experts operating at the intersection of law, markets, and emerging technologies.
The programme’s modularised curriculum is both innovative and comprehensive, combining education in the fields of law that shape an innovation-driven economy with exploration of cutting-edge legal developments and policy issues from diverse perspectives. Its deep coverage of all relevant fields of law, with a particular emphasis on their interactions, sets it apart globally.
Students can specialise in areas including patent, copyright, trademark, competition law, data protection/law, digital platform regulation, artificial intelligence, life science regulation, and more, through a broad range of advanced courses.
MIPLC, a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (MPI), the University of Augsburg, the Technical University of Munich, and the George Washington University Law School, ensures high-quality university education from an international perspective, taking into account EU and US law in particular. Teaching takes place at the MPI in Munich, the IP capital of Europe, with its outstanding library and unrivalled community of legal scholars and economists dedicated to independent research on the incentives, determinants, and implications of innovation.
The international faculty, comprising professors from prestigious partner universities, senior judges, IP experts of renowned corporations, and leading researchers from the MPI, guarantees multifaceted discussions and a broad understanding of intellectual property. The programme covers both civil law and common law jurisdictions, preparing graduates to operate effectively in any legal environment.
MIPLC’s modularised curriculum, spanning two semesters, contains the following elements: introductory courses, mandatory basic modules, numerous elective modules, the Master's thesis, an optional internship, and several extracurricular activities.
Introductory courses are scheduled for the beginning of each academic year, conveying essential knowledge of IP, related legal issues of economics, and legal writing. The mandatory basic modules lay the foundation for later specialisations by instructing students in all areas of intellectual property and competition law, including data law. This begins immediately after the introductory courses and continues through the first part of the second semester.
Elective modules start towards the end of the first semester and continue throughout the second semester, offering advanced courses on programme subjects and adjacent areas of law, such as AI and Policy as well as Digital Markets and more, and business studies are also included, such as the Economics of IP.
From the end of the first semester onward, students have the opportunity to work on their Master's theses. After the submission of the Master's thesis in mid-September, students may complete an optional internship. MIPLC assists its students in obtaining an internship by drawing on a list of IP law firms, corporations, and international organisations such as the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO).
The programme concludes with a graduation ceremony, during which diplomas are awarded and graduates celebrate their achievements with their families and friends.
Various extracurricular activities are scheduled throughout the year, including study visits to the European Patent Office, guest lectures given by distinguished speakers, and social and scientific events.
Most MIPLC courses are taught in intensive sessions spread over several consecutive days as lectures with active student participation. The interactive teaching style, with a focus on case studies, requires substantial preparatory reading in addition to class attendance, enabling students to grasp the subject matter and participate in discussions and debates from the very beginning.
For a list of modules and courses, please visit: http://www.miplc.de/llm-ip/curriculum/.
PDF DownloadThe international faculty, comprising professors from prestigious partner universities, senior judges, IP experts of renowned corporations, and leading researchers from the MPI, guarantees multifaceted discussions and a broad understanding of intellectual property. The programme covers both civil law and common law jurisdictions, preparing graduates to operate effectively in any legal environment.
Participation in an internship is optional for students. An internship provides an excellent opportunity for students to apply their newly gained knowledge to real-life IP situations and to develop additional research, writing, interviewing, and counselling skills. Thus, MIPLC is dedicated to supporting its students in this endeavour by utilising its extensive network of potential internship sponsors, including patent law firms, corporations, IP institutions, and others. MIPLC is also part of the Pan-European Seal Training Programme, which offers possible internships to our students. Other organisations include the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
MIPLC will support interested students in organising their internships, ensuring a valuable and enriching experience outside the classroom. Many MIPLC graduates have been hired by their internship sponsors after completing their studies.
The tuition fee for the LLM programme in "Intellectual Property and Competition Law" is 39,500 EUR for the entire year of studies.
Please visit our website for more information.
Check with MIPLC for up-to-date information on the semester contribution.
For a tentative overview of the cost of living in Munich for a year, please refer to https://www.miplc.de/llm-ip/admissions/financial-matters/.
There are two scholarship options available at MIPLC:
1) For each academic year, the DAAD offers a few full scholarships to MIPLC applicants from developing countries. Eligible participants can apply between 1 June and 15 October. Please refer to the DAAD website for more information.
2) MIPLC itself grants a small number of partial tuition fee waivers to highly qualified applicants. Detailed information about these options is available at https://www.miplc.de/llm-ip/admissions/scholarship-opportunities.
Applicants to the DAAD EPOS must also adhere to DAAD requirements. Please refer to the DAAD website for more information.
Applicants must have a very good knowledge of English. Therefore, one of the MIPLC admission requirements is a minimum score in one of the following tests taken within the last three years:
The test requirement is waived for applicants who are either native speakers of English or have received their degree from an institution at which English is the language of instruction. In the latter case, please add a written confirmation from your university if you have studied in a country other than the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
Regular applicants: Intake open from 1 December to 30 April
Applicants for the DAAD scholarship "Development-Related Postgraduate Courses": Intake open from 1 June to 15 October of the previous year
To apply for admission, please use our online application interface at https://www.miplc.de/llm-ip/admissions/how-to-apply. For detailed instructions about the applications and admissions procedure, please refer to Application Instructions, which are available here: https://www.miplc.de/llm-ip/admissions/how-to-apply.
The programme is intense and rigorous; therefore, maintaining employment is not possible. Students will generally not have any time to undertake additional work during the programme.
Students will have to find their own accommodations on the private market, which offers everything from rooms in shared flats to luxury apartments.
The MIPLC team provides career development support and coaching services to students. This includes career information sessions, internship information sessions, support for obtaining an internship, and personal consultation regarding optimising cover letters and CVs as well as job-search strategies.
MIPLC regularly receives high-calibre job offers from renowned (patent) law firms, corporations, IP institutions, and universities, which are then passed on to students and graduates.
Throughout the academic year, students at MIPLC enjoy a host of opportunities to interact with high-level representatives of (patent) law firms, corporations, IP institutions, and academia. These opportunities present themselves in the classroom, at the MIPLC lecture series, at various conferences at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, and during study visits, such as those to the EPO. Furthermore, students have access to career services at TUM and GW Law.
For the duration of the academic year, each student is assigned a personal tutor who provides additional assistance in regular sessions. These tutorials offer an excellent opportunity for students to discuss course content, clarify open issues, and prepare for exams. Each tutor usually mentors two or three students, so tutorials can be held individually or in small groups.
Other services and support include access to the MPI and MIPLC libraries. For more information, visit https://www.miplc.de/llm-ip/.
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