Patent Law and Policy

Patent Law and Policy - Professor Tabrez Ebrahim

• Course Number: LAW-416
• Course Type: Foundational
• Credits: 3
• Enrollment Limit: Determined by the Registrar
• Description: This course will introduce students to the law and policy of the U.S. patent system. This course begins with a discussion of the origin, history, theories, and policies of the patent system, and is followed by a look at the composition of an issued U.S. patent and the procedural mechanism for obtaining patent rights. We will then proceed with an examination of the substantive requirements of patentability, including subject matter, utility, disclosure requirements, novelty, and nonobviousness. Our discussion will introduce briefly the America Invents Act (AIA) and Post-Issuance Administrative Proceedings. We will briefly consider issues associated with enforcing a patent, including the scope of a patent owner’s rights and provide an introduction to a patent infringement suit (including direct infringement and indirect infringement), claim construction, defenses, and injunctions. Throughout the course, we will consider the relationship between the Federal Circuit and the institutions it oversees and how the Federal Circuit’s semi-specialized nature effects its decision-making. Other course topics includes recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, the role of patents in technology transfer and licensing, an introduction to the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP), and the use of technology (particularly Artificial Intelligence, or AI, and generally legal technology) in modern day patent law practice.
• Prerequisite: none
• Evaluation Method: Final exam
• Capstone: no
• WIE: no