The Detkin Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Clinic gives students a unique opportunity to learn by helping clients solve their real-life IP problems. Students work on patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, privacy, and data protection issues specifically chosen to provide an overview of different IP law career settings. Clients vary by size, focus, and industry to provide a rich experience for the class, and may include scientists, entrepreneurs, and artists, as well as large and small for-profit and non-profit entities. A central client for the DIPTC is the Penn Center for Innovation.
The seminar provides a supportive and dynamic learning environment for students to develop and practice essential skills — including interviewing, drafting, negotiating, and client counseling — through simulations and exercises. The DIPTC also provides opportunities to interact with students from other professional schools and members of the Philadelphia Bar formally and informally to deepen students’ professional understanding of how to be an effective counselor in business, technical, and arts-oriented settings. Case rounds and weekly supervisory sessions with an experienced faculty-practitioner reinforce and expand concepts presented in cases, and give students a chance to reflect upon and deepen their understanding of ethical, practical and substantive issues.
Students interested in enrolling should look out for an email sent by the Registrar with a link to the application just before advanced registration opens every semester.
3Ls are given enrollment priority, but often 2Ls are admitted.
Detkin IP & Technology Legal Clinic |
One semester course offered both in Fall and Spring semesters |
# of Credits: |
7 credits (students may apply 1 credit toward their pro bono requirement) |
Pre-requisites: |
Intro IP or at least one substantive IP course recommended |
|
Registration Information:
|
Open to JD 3L students and 1st and 2nd semester 2L students. LLM students may enroll, but should not register during Advance Registration as an interview with DIPTC faculty is required. Consult these Registration instructions. |
Faculty: |
Cynthia L. Dahl, Esq. Director, Detkin Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Clinic Practice Professor of Law |
The DIPTC client work and seminar are designed to help students begin to develop a professional identity as thoughtful, ethical practitioners. Specifically the DIPTC seeks to:
- Help students to understand and adopt their role as business strategists
- Introduce students to the broad range of clients they may encounter practicing IP law
- Broaden students’ conception of IP law careers by introducing them to different industries and topics
- Deepen students’ facility with substantive IP law
- Develop and strengthen students’ lawyering skills (especially drafting, negotiation, and counseling)
- Allow students to fit the practice of IP law into a larger context
- Aid underrepresented entrepreneurs and arts, science, and technology clients and strengthen the Philadelphia creative community