This three-week programme is a joint undertaking of the Bucerius Center for Transnational IP, Media and Technology Law and Policy and UC College of the Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law). It is offered in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO.
Bucerius Summer Programmes are designed for advanced law students, recent graduates, and young professionals wishing to acquire in-depth knowledge in the fields of international business law, licensing transactions in intellectual property, and legal technology and operations.
By joining one of the intensive three-week courses, you will have an opportunity to gain valuable intercultural communication skills by working in small groups with students from different legal backgrounds.
The programme is designed to build practical skills for transacting technology licences across legal systems and national borders. By taking part, you will gain a thorough understanding of core IP and licensing concepts (including industry practices) and explore both the legal and business perspectives of licensing.
Topics covered include an overview of IP laws relevant to licensing in various jurisdictions (primarily the US and the EU, with references to relevant developments in other jurisdictions), securing IP rights internationally, IP management and monetisation, the mechanics and legal aspects of transferring IP rights (including a focus on EU competition regulations), structuring international licence agreements, international dispute resolution, and industry-specific licensing strategies.
These theoretical concepts will be applied in a licensing workshop. In teams supervised by experienced practitioners, you will negotiate a transnational technology licence based on a real-life fact pattern, and develop the transaction's term sheet.
Two site visits to workshops of major international enterprises will round out the programme by enabling you to discuss licensing experience and strategy with in-house counsel.
By taking part in the programme, you will be able to earn up to 10 ECTS points. If you are a US law student and seeking ABA credits towards graduation, you should discuss credit-transfer with your adviser and follow procedures at your home institution.
The programme is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA); however, the Law School will provide you with a documentation packet to assist in obtaining academic credit. The programme's credit system is based on ABA guidelines and is structured for a total of five ABA credits (60 hours of classroom time; one credit hour being equivalent to 700 minutes of classroom time). The number of credits recognised within your programme of study is at the discretion of your home university, i.e., US law schools may award fewer than five ABA credits.