Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Business and Intellectual Property Law

This course covers the intersection of start-ups, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property (IP) law. Students gain skills with navigation of major tenants of intellectual property law including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trades secrets as these concepts relate to start-ups and entrepreneurship. Students also gain experience in constructing and presenting formal product and funding pitches that incorporate references to the IP holdings of start-ups or small businesses. Further, students receive an introduction to the basics of contract instruments which allow for sharing of IP with entities outside of a start-up while protecting the IP of the start-up. Students are also exposed to the IP litigation landscape that start-ups face using actual litigation matters. Lastly, students engage in a mock intellectual property trial where they present opening arguments in support of the plaintiff or the defendant. Upon completing the course, students are able to perform basic legal research, understand basic case law, and interpret basic legal documents, such as patent applications and simple confidentiality agreements, which are relevant to start-ups during their funding and growth periods. This course is designed to provide a theoretical and pragmatic engagement with business, corporate, and IP law. In addition, students gain experience with key components of legal transactions and litigation including pitch development for funding, deposition, court arguments, copyright registration, trademark registration, patent application drafting, agreement drafting (such as non-disclosure agreements, non-compete agreements), and forms of trade secret, likeness, and fashion protection. Topics include a diverse set of technologies and exploration of key and recent court decisions to not only provide familiarity with reading and understanding case law, but to also allow for potential skills to make informed business decisions.