Concentration in Intellectual Property & Information
The Concentration in Intellectual Property & Information (“IP&I”) brings together five core areas—patent, copyright, and trademark, computer law, and information law. This concentration capitalizes on the School’s significant teaching and curricular strengths in these subject matters and matches these strengths with a significant market need for lawyers with specialized knowledge in these areas.
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View IP Law Concentration Learning Outcomes
Requirements
A student may be certified as having completed a concentration in Intellectual Property & Information by meeting the following requirements. Any “Exhibit A” or “Exhibit B” offering that you wish to count toward the concentration must be taken for a grade rather than CR/NC/H.
1) Satisfactory completion of three (3) of the following courses:
Exhibit A
Copyright
3 credits
This course will give you an introduction to copyright, including a foundation in the theories underlying copyright law, an understanding of the current contours of copyright protection, the basic elements of proving infringement, the fair use defense to and remedies for infringement, and familiarity with related forms of liability such as contributory and vicarious liability. Each class meeting will consist of a combination of lecture and class discussion. Our discussions will focus on discussion of the reading - including cases and policies - and applying the reading to new scenarios. We'll work through hypotheticals based on real-world examples and explore scenarios that will require you to think from a variety of different perspectives. Grading will be based on class participation, including problem sets and hypotheticals worked on in groups, and a 3-hour, closed book, final exam.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 929 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
CYBERSECURITY LAW
3 credits
This course will consider legal and policy challenges arising from rapidly evolving threats in cyberspace. It will define an array of cyber threats, and consider the ways in which they impact a range of governmental and non-governmental actors and entities. It will identify the domestic and international legal frameworks that regulate conduct in cyberspace - including laws related to cybercrime, cyberespionage, and cyberwar - and examine substantive and institutional questions such as: What existing principles limit cyber threats? What are the norms emerging through state practice? How should we fill in the gaps? Who should make these decisions? How should they be enforced? The course will explore these questions within the context of broader policy debates about Internet governance and the role of governmental and non-governmental actors in defending against cyber threats; state restrictions on civil rights and liberties in defending against cyber threats; allocation of decision-making among (and within) the branches for U.S. cybersecurity; and issues of secrecy and accountability. The objective of this course is to deepen our understanding of the existing threats and protections in cyberspace, the regulatory challenges that exist, and the institutions that should address them. No technical knowledge is required. Familiarity with public international law, administrative law and criminal procedure is helpful, but not necessary. International law concepts will be introduced as necessary.
INFORMATION PRIVACY LAW
3 credits
The collection, use, storage, and sharing of personal data has become increasingly important throughout society, from commerce to government and from health care to finance. For good reason, we call this the Information Age. Recall the countless high- profile privacy and data security controversies you have heard about in the last year: location tracking; inaccurate credit reports causing lost jobs; data breaches, hacking and identity theft; and government surveillance. Law has responded with a dizzying array of new rules -- and a rapidly growing area of professional specialization for attorneys. This course serves as an introduction to the emerging law of data privacy. By the end, you will be well grounded in many challenges facing any enterprise, public or private, that collects, processes, uses, and stores personal information. In addition to knowledge of constitutional, statutory, and common law rules as well as federal and state enforcement activity, we will learn about the policy questions that arise in this dynamic area, the legally relevant questions to ask when assessing information practices, and some of the many nonlegal models of information governance. You will gain a basic understanding of data privacy regulation in other countries, particularly the European Union. All students will benefit from more sophisticated knowledge about an issue that appears in the news every single day. But there are significant professional payoffs too. Major law firms have organized entire practice areas devoted to privacy and data protection law. In the last seven years the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), a key trade association in this space, more than tripled in size to 12,000 members. These trends mean that law school graduates will have increasing job opportunities in data privacy and security law. Meanwhile, in many other practice areas -- such as securities, labor and employment, health, advertising, and the list goes on -- familiarity with privacy and security law has become a major asset. Plus, the issues are fascinating and fun. If nothing else, you can have great conversations at parties.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 956 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
4 credits
In our modern information economy, the law of intellectual property has taken on enormous importance to both creators and users. This course introduces students to the principles of trade secret, patent, copyright, and trademark law, and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology. The course is open to all upper level students, without prerequisite. No scientific or technical background is required.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 857 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 857 B1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
PATENT LAW
3 credits
The basic questions in patent law are: why should society grant inventors a right to exclude others from using a patented invention Who should be given the right? What is the scope of the right? How should the right be enforced? What disclosure duties should be placed on the patent holder? We will concentrate on these legal issues without getting mired in discussions of the technical details of particular inventions. Students without a technical background are welcome and encouraged to enroll.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 870 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Trademark and Unfair Competition
3 credits
This course will examine the principles of trademark and unfair competition law. We will investigate issues of ownership, protectability, and infringement in the context of words, symbols, slogans, product design and other forms of trade dress. We will explore the policy reasons for protecting marks and the limiting principles that protect competition, speech, and other interests. The course also will include a brief introduction to false advertising and the state law right of publicity.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 780 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
2) Satisfactory completion of two courses/seminars collectively totaling no less than five credits in the Intellectual Property or Information Law area.
Exhibit B
Advanced Privacy Law
3 credits
This advanced course in Privacy Law offers a more detailed examination of privacy law and privacy theory. It builds on the conceptual, analytical, comparative, and doctrinal skills developed in Information Privacy Law to enable more sustained and expert engagement with the American and European regimes of privacy and data protection law. The course offers a deeper and more specialized examination of both scholarly and practical issues in privacy law, from academic theories of privacy and data protection, to deeper examinations of the EU data protection regime and the GDPR, national security law, American privacy reform at the state and federal levels, and other issues of privacy law of the moment. It is intended for students who took Information Privacy Law and who wish to pursue careers in privacy or technology law as well as for those interested in academic theories or privacy--or both, since the emerging global practice of privacy law is one in which lawyers and academics are frequently--and necessarily--in conversation with each other. Assessment will be on the basis of class participation and a final exam/assignment. PREREQUISITE: Information Privacy.
Cyber Law
2 credits
The expanded use of technology in all aspects of our lives provides tremendous opportunities and creates constantly evolving risks – and has resulted in a patchwork of legal responses. This course will explore the rapidly changing landscape of cyber law, focusing on the legal framework, policy issues, and practical application of these laws. Specifically, the course will cover cyber crime, including cyber-enabled fraud schemes, computer “hacking,” and nation-state cyber activity. The course will also cover cyber security and privacy issues, and the impact of technology on data collection and electronic evidence gathering. We will analyze the framework of both constitutional law and relevant domestic statutes related to data collection, and the intersection of domestic and global concepts of data privacy. Students will explore the strategies used to respond to these challenges by individuals, businesses, governments, and regulatory agencies.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 964 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
Digital Evidence Use in Law Enforcement
3 credits
This course will consider how the evolution and global reach of technology in the areas of criminal practice and privacy rights has created an environment and area of the law that is frequently enacted only to be outpaced, eclipsed, and rendered irrelevant almost immediately by the very thing it seeks to regulate. This course provides an overview of cybercrime, privacy rights, and digital evidence practice; focusing on the current legal and technical landscape facing investigators and prosecutors in our justice system as they respond to the now commonly overlapping digital, cloud, and physical crime scenes. This course will give students the ability to assess current issues in this space using real-world examples. Students will examine the various constitutional protections afforded to users in the digital space, the law and policies that govern detection and prosecution, using this evidence in investigative practice, understanding the principles of digital search and seizure, and privacy rights vs. privacy protections. This course provides a summary of this fast-growing area of the law arising out of digital evidence investigation as it is used in criminal law as well as in areas of collateral civil practice. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 953 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Economics of Intellectual Property Law
3 credits
This seminar will explore the economics of intellectual property law. There are no prerequisites. The readings for the seminar will consist of Cass and Hylton, Laws of Creation (2013), and several cases and articles. The seminar will emphasize understanding the policy justifications for the major doctrines in intellectual property. The topics studies will include patent law, copyright law, trademark law, trade secret law, and the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 14 students. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may be used to satisfy the requirement.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 900 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
Entertainment Law
3 credits
This seminar will focus on the varied legal and business doctrines that influence the practice of entertainment law. Some of the primary topics include copyright and trademark protection and enforcement; defamation and freedom of speech; privacy and publicity rights; social media; licensing and merchandising entertainment properties; and other general contractual relations within the entertainment industry. The course will also examine the practical aspects of entertainment law, such as client counseling and negotiations and contract drafting. There will be no final exam. Grades will be based upon papers and class participation. NOTES: This class may not be used to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 905 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
INFORMATION RISK MANAGEMENT
2 credits
Businesses and organizations handle information every day to conduct business, process transactions, and deliver goods and services. They do so in the context of legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations relating to their possession and use of this information. In the age of "Big Data" and "Advanced Persistent Threats," these entities can no longer focus solely on developing and implementing procedures to govern information processing. Instead, they must implement governance that allows for the optimization of risk while facilitating core management decision making in order to create real value. This is the new world of "knowledge governance." Legal counsel must ensure compliance with the legal and core requirements for security, privacy and data breach prevention, in a way that aligns with the strategic objectives of their firm. Designing a robust compliance program is a critical part of this task, but the big-data environment requires skills that go beyond devising a formal compliance program. In particular, lawyers operating in this environment must consider the value of data and information, understand the nature of their organization's collection, use, and disclosure of that data, and appreciate the relationship between risk optimization and their organization's strategic objectives. This course will explore the lawyer's role in devising and implementing a policy and culture of knowledge governance within a firm. It will focus on information, especially personal information. It will introduce students to the core principles of information risk management -- the privacy attributes of collection, use, and disclosure married with the security concepts of confidentiality, integrity, and availability -- while providing a framework for governance around information risk management. This course will also serve in part as preparation for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 934 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Intellectual Property Workshop
3 credits
This seminar examines topics from the frontiers of intellectual property law. The class provides students with the opportunity to meet and interact with cutting-edge IP scholars who will be invited to speak. Students will read the speakers' works in progress, critique those writings in papers and oral give-and-take discussions with the authors, and will be provided additional reading as appropriate. The goals of this workshop are three: for students to deepen their substantive knowledge of IP law, for students to increase their abilities to participate in scholarly debate, and for established scholars to improve their working papers through the input of the workshop group. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 776 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Law & Algorithms
3 credits
This cross-cutting and interdisciplinary course, taught alongside a graduate-level course with BU's new faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, investigates the role that algorithms and automated decision-making systems play in law and society. The course connects legal and technical concepts of transparency, fairness, bias, privacy, and trust, though a series of case studies that present recent applications of technology to legal and regulatory situations and explore the challenges in regulating algorithms. Legal concepts explored will include evidence and expert witnesses, anti-discrimination law concepts of disparate impact and disparate treatment, sectoral information privacy regimes, and public access and transparency laws. Technical concepts explored will include artificial intelligence and machine learning, secure multi-party computation, differential privacy, and zero-knowledge proofs. Grades will be based on a series of assignments that correspond with each case study, to be completed collaboratively in mixed teams of law and computing/data science students. No prior technology experience is required. GRADING NOTICE: This class will not offer the CR/NC/H option.
Law and Regulation of Online Platforms
3 credits
Technology platforms — the intermediaries that shape as well as enable our social and professional interactions, media consumption and game playing, online purchases, and more — have long been treated with cautious deference by lawmakers and regulators concerned that government interference could hamper innovation. But that has changed in recent years, with calls from all sides of the political spectrum to rein in the power of today’s tech giants through a variety of different legal reforms addressing consumer privacy, freedom of speech, algorithmic bias, anti-competitive behavior, and more. Even when action at the federal level is variable and unpredictable, the states have shown an interest in litigation and legislation to force platforms to internalize some of the harms associated with their operations.
This seminar will explore the legal framework for platform regulation in the United States, with an emphasis on platforms' role in enabling harmful third-party conduct. We will begin by contrasting the treatment of intermediaries under copyright and trademark law with the almost-complete immunity that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act confers for non-IP claims. We will then turn to current debates over whether platforms should face greater responsibility for preventing or limiting internet-related harms, and will close with a unit on platform antitrust law. Given the fast-changing landscape, precise topics will be determined in the lead-up to the semester, but they may include perceived political bias, algorithmic amplification, mis/disinformation, and responses to government efforts to influence rather than mandate platform behavior. RECOMMENDED COURSES: There are no specific required or recommended courses. However, students may benefit from previously or contemporaneously taking other classes related to law and technology, including classes concerning intellectual property, information privacy, or cybersecurity, or classes in relevant subject matters such as antitrust or First Amendment law. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may be used to satisfy the requirement in part or in full. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment."
FALL 2025: LAW JD 791 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
Patent Prosecution
3 credits
This class is recommended for all students interested in intellectual property and patent law, including students considering practicing in the areas of patent prosecution, litigation, licensing, and technology transactions. A technical background is not required to take this course. This course provides an introduction to the U.S. patent process including the entire life cycle of a patent, as well as a working understanding of the core issues and strategies involved in patent application preparation and prosecution. Basic principles around building and managing a patent portfolio and issues related to patent infringement, licensing, and technology transactions will also be addressed.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 939 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Patent Trial Advocacy
3 credits
This course introduces the student to the structure of the patent trial process and the skills used by patent trial lawyers. This is a simulation course. Students will act as trial counsel in a federal civil action. The case will model a hypothetical patent case, from filing of the complaint to trial. The students will simulate motion practice, claim construction, depositions, as well as trial. The course will include some substantive instruction on patent law, but the focus of the course will be on experiential learning. Students will receive instruction on general litigation techniques relevant to presenting complex science and technologies to a judge or fact-finder. For example, students will learn how to utilize technology to facilitate their presentations during oral argument and in examining witnesses (e.g., through use of demonstratives). Students do not need to have a background in science or technology. Similarly, students do not need to have taken prior coursework in patent law. Enrollment will be limited to 12 students, who will be divided into plaintiff and defendant teams. Grades will be individualized and based on the following: participation in class discussion, simulations, and workshops; motion to dismiss argument; claim construction argument; deposition; and trial. PREREQUISITE Evidence (may be a corequisite for 3Ls). RECOMMENDED COURSES: Patent Law, Patent Litigation NOTE: This class counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 933 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
PRIVACY, SECURITY & TECHNOLOGY
3 credits
This seminar explores how modern technology disrupts many of the customs and principles upon which our laws and institutions for national security have evolved. The advancement of modern technology is changing the nature of how we perceive and defend against security threats across all domains. Attacks can be launched in ways that national borders and other conventional defenses cannot easily stop, and the proliferation of privacy enhancing cryptographic tools provides virtual refuge for threat actors to congregate, coordinate and conspire. At the same time, the state has mobilized the use of new technologies--expanding, and indeed, redefining, surveillance capabilities--to predict, prevent and defend against threats in the modern era. This class will focus on a series of historical and contemporary challenges posed by a range of technologies to the government's administration of security and justice, and the solutions implemented or proposed by the state in response. The objective is to contextualize and deepen our understanding of the substantive and institutional questions that arise from the modern day "going dark" problem, in order to facilitate sound policy and good politics in areas that are devoid of law. Topics for discussion may include, but are not limited to: the use of cryptographic tools to evade government surveillance; government proposals for "backdoor" access to people's devices and data; the use of government hacking as a surveillance tool; and the use of machine learning to predict and prevent threat incidents. No technical knowledge is required. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
Racial Justice & Movement Lawyering Clinic: Seminar
3 credits
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Racial Justice & Movement Lawyering Clinic. This seminar introduces students to skills and theoretical frameworks that can support their lawyering practice and invites students to engage in critical reflection regarding their clinical fieldwork. Topics covered in the seminar may include, for example: theories of change, interviewing and storytelling, ethical practice, fact development for litigation, interpreting and using data and social science research, and oral advocacy. We will also analyze the structural conditions that we face in our fieldwork and consider whether and how we, as lawyers, can support the imagination of new possibilities through generative collaborations with clients and community partners. Throughout the semester, students will have the opportunity to: present mock legislative testimony or engage in a mock oral argument related to their fieldwork; deliver a class presentation on a topic pertaining to social justice and the law; and participate in in case rounds practice, which entails sharing challenges that come up in our fieldwork and engaging in group-based problem-solving. CO-REQUISITE: LAW JD 948 (Clinic Fieldwork). NOTE: Both the fieldwork and in-class seminar count towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This clinic does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 949 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 949 B1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Student Innovations Law Clinic: Fieldwork
4 credits
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic.
The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. The clinic provides counseling in a variety of different areas of law, organized into three practice groups: (1) Intellectual Property; (2) Privacy, Health & Media; and (3) Venture & Finance. Representation of clients can include client counseling, contract and policy drafting and review, negotiation with third parties, and, if capacity allows, litigation and other dispute resolution.
CO-REQUISITE: If students have not done so already, students must take at least one course in any one of the following four areas: (1) intellectual property (either an IP survey course or other core IP course such as patent, copyright, trademark, or trade secret); (2) privacy (including information privacy law or information risk management); (3) cybersecurity; or (4) corporations. NOTE: The Technology Law Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 725 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 725 B1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 725 C1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 725 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 725 B1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 725 C1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Supervised Research and Writing
Var credits
Upper-class students may pursue a special research interest under the guidance of a full time faculty member, and earn one or two semester credits for a Supervised Research and Writing project (also known as an Independent Study). The study must involve a substantial investment of time and effort, and result in significant written work that reflects a high standard of legal scholarship. The student's final grade will be based solely upon written work submitted, and will be included in the student's average. NOTE: Students must register for Supervised Research and Writing directly with the Registrar's Office. You may not register via the Student Portal.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 B1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 B2, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 C1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 C2, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 D1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 E1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 F1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 G1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 H1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 I1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 J1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 K1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 M1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 M2, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 N1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 O1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 P1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 R1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 S1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 S2, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 T1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 T2, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 V1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 W1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 Z1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 841 Z2, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 B1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 B3, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 C1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 C2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 D1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 D2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 E1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 F1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 F2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 G1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 H1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 I1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 J1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 K1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 L1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 L2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 M1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 N1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 P1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 R1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 S1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 T1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 U1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 V1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 W1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 841 Y1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants
2 credits
This course will examine the theory, practice, and interrelationship of trade secret law and the law of restrictive covenants, including laws governing the use and enforceability of noncompetition agreements. We will explore what a trade secret is, what it is not, how it differs from other types of intellectual property, and how something secret can constitute protectable property. We will investigate how trade secrets can be misappropriated, including misappropriation through one's memory; whether and in what circumstances trade secrets will be protected, including through the use of noncompetition agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and other restrictive covenants; the other purposes served by those agreements; and the strengths and weaknesses of the various laws governing the protection of trade secrets and the use of restrictive covenants. Depending on class interest and time, we may discuss related issues such as the current debate over the use of noncompete agreements and their putative effects on innovation. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is not offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 793 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
*The Government Lawyering externship, semester-in-practice, American Legislative Practice clinic, and Supervised Research & Writing (independent project) qualify if they are IP related.
Note that each Clinic counts as only one offering under exhibit B.
3) Satisfactory completion of at least two (2) additional course totaling at least five credits from select background and related courses from “Exhibit C” courses below, or from “Exhibit B” courses above.
Exhibit C
Administrative Law
4 credits
This course will examine the nature and functions of federal administrative agencies and the legal controls on agency action. Agency action is situated and examined in its political and legal contexts. Topics include the status of administrative agencies in the constitutional framework of separation of powers including the non-delegation doctrine, the President's appointment and removal powers in light of the unitary executive, the constitutionality of the legislative and line-item vetoes, the constitutionality of agency adjudication, and the constitutional (and political) status of independent agencies; agency rulemaking and adjudication including the choice of procedural model and the procedural requirements of the rulemaking model; and the availability, timing and scope of judicial review of agency action including standing to seek judicial review and exceptions to the availability of judicial review. The course also examines different methods of policy analysis such as regulatory impact analysis and cost-benefit analysis. Additional topics include discriminatory enforcement, regulatory delay, judicial imposition of procedural constraints on agencies, the implication of private rights of action from regulatory statutes and the availability citizens' suits. Some attention may be paid to differences between state and federal separation of powers doctrines.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 801 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 801 S1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 801 B1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Antitrust & High Tech Markets
3 credits
In the United States and around the world, there is an intense debate about the proper role of antitrust as applied to technology industries. This course will examine some of the key questions involved in that debate including the role of network effects, Big Data, attention competition, and multi-sided platforms in antitrust legal analysis and innovation policy more broadly. We'll study these issues not just through a legal lens but also with a focus on economics and policy, and with the aid of cases from the start of the computing age (AT&T, IBM), the seminal case of US v Microsoft, and more recent inquiries involving firms such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon. NOTE: This class does not satisfy the Upper-class Writing Requirement. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
Antitrust Law
4 credits
The antitrust laws reflect a conviction that competition in the marketplace will yield the best outcomes for consumers and the optimal allocation of resources in our economy. Beginning with the Sherman Act of 1890, the antitrust statutes condemn a variety of acts -- from mergers to agreements among competitors to monopolists' exclusionary business practices -- that restrain trade or contribute to monopoly power. The statutes, however, are written in general terms, leaving it to the courts to draw the line between lawful competition and unlawful restraints of trade or monopolization. Early on, the Supreme Court established that the law reaches only "unreasonable" restraints, which only begs the question of how to draw the line between "reasonable" competition and "unreasonable" interference with competitive markets. Over the course of the twentieth century, the courts struggled to fix this line; as the century closed, they had settled on an economically-oriented normative framework that largely deferred to firm decisions and doubted the value of government intervention in markets. In recent years, however, a cacophony of voices -- ranging from activists to scholars to politicians of all stripes -- has begun to call that framework into question and to call for renewed enforcement of antitrust laws. This course will explore the principal statutes and common law that have shaped antitrust law over the past century-and-a-quarter since Congress passed the Sherman Act. We will also examine the standards and procedures that the antitrust agencies use to evaluate mergers and to challenge conduct as anticompetitive. As we critically evaluate the case law, we will also reflect on current calls for reform. While we will engage rigorously with economics, all of the economic principles necessary to understand the case law and debates will be explained in the course; formal training in economics is not a requirement.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 838 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
Arbitration in the US
3 credits
This course explores arbitration as a private dispute resolution method in the United States, with a particular focus on its application in commercial, securities, consumer, class action, labor, and employment contexts. The aim is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of arbitration law and procedures, enabling them to effectively advise clients about arbitration, negotiate arbitration clauses, and participate in arbitral proceedings. Students will learn about various types of arbitration processes, comparing them with other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods and litigation, as well as the roles of both courts and arbitration institutions during arbitrator appointments and other aspects of procedure. The course covers the full arbitration lifecycle including drafting pre- and post-dispute arbitration agreements; enforcing arbitration agreements; handling anti-arbitration injunctions and parallel proceedings; filing the initial demand for arbitration and the reply; selecting the arbitrator(s); participating in pre-hearing conferences; issuing procedural orders; filing briefs and motions; presenting evidence; conducting hearings; distinguishing between interim, partial, and final arbitral awards; and finally, post-award enforcement, set aside, and vacatur. This course explains the legal underpinnings of arbitration, examining sources such as the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), state arbitration laws (including the FAA’s partial preemption of state laws), U.S. Supreme Court and lower court interpretations of federal and state arbitration laws, the rules of arbitral institutions, and sample arbitration agreements. Additionally, the course addresses the ethical obligations of arbitrators, disclosure requirements related to conflicts of interest, and fairness issues within the contexts of consumer and employment arbitration. Finally, this course highlights contemporary developments, such as class and mass arbitration, third-party funding of arbitration, and arbitration in the news media. There will be an in-person final exam for all students. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: In addition to taking the final examination, a limited number of students may request permission from the professor to write an additional paper to fulfill the requirement. The paper will not be graded and will not count toward their final grade in the course.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 995 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Compliance & Risk Management in Global Commerce
4 credits
This course provides a deep dive into compliance with the U.S. and international laws and regulations governing risk management in global business. The need for compliance professionals across the globe has never been greater. We will study Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions regimes, and examine the requirements for a best-in-class compliance program. The course will highlight compliance obligations of global corporations and financial institutions, starting with senior management commitment, the role of in-house counsel, compliance officer and outside counsel when implementing new regulations, remediating identified deficiencies, launching new products or taking steps to leading organizational transformation, including focus on FinTech, payments, digital assets/blockchain and role/impact of the Artificial Intelligence component. The laws and regulations in scope will include, among others, the Bank Secrecy Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC sanctions regulations, the European Union Anti-Money Laundering Directives, US Export Administration Regulations, as applicable, as well as pertinent aspects of the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority regulations as one of the case studies in the evolution of a global regulatory regime.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 918 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Compliance in Financial Service Co.
2 credits
This course will take students through the compliance mechanisms within financial organizations putting regulatory requirements into practice. The purpose of the class is to offer a fundamental preparation to the lawyer in a financial institution's legal department or a separate compliance department. This course covers the following:
* The history of compliance
* The interaction between business processes, legal requirements, and compliance.
* The profession of financial compliance
* The interaction of conflicts, risks and ethics
* Defining best practice, business process, risk assessment and controls and their interactions within financial institutions
*Compliance for investment advisers, private funds, mutual funds, broker-dealers, and other regulatory regimes
* Interacting with regulators, enforcement agencies and investigations
* Business ethics and culture in financial institutions.
The course will use an exam as the final assessment. GRADING NOTICE: This course will not offer the CR/NC/H option.
Contract Drafting
3 credits
This course is the foundational skills course within the Transactional Law Program. It teaches students basic principles and skills of drafting and analyzing commercial and transaction agreements, with a focus on recognizing, and addressing through contractual provisions, key business issues in transactions. Although the course will be of particular interest to students interested in a corporate or transactional law practice, since most practicing attorneys will need to work with contracts at some point in their career, the concepts and skills which the course conveys are applicable to virtually all practice areas and specialties. While the course utilizes lectures to introduce various contract concepts and techniques essential for drafting and reviewing commercial and transaction agreements, it also requires that students complete both in-class exercises and out-of-class assignments as a means of building basic drafting skills and a solid understanding of the structure and operation of contractual provisions in a business transaction. The course also considers various ethical issues that may arise in the contract drafting and review process and in transactional practice generally. Grades will be based on class participation and graded drafting assignments. CLASS SIZE: 12 students. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT/EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REQUIREMENT: This course is a designated Professional Writing Course which may be used to partially satisfy the Upper-Class Writing Requirement (with a grade of B or higher) or the 6-credit Experiential Learning Requirement, but not both. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar will be administratively dropped from the course. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first class to be considered for enrollment. Because the course involves regular in-class exercises, some of which are done in teams, and class participation is a significant component of a student's final grade, regular class attendance is essential and thus the course cannot accommodate flexibility in attendance.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 788 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 788 B1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 788 C1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
FALL 2025: LAW JD 788 D1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 788 A2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 788 B2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 788 C2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 788 D2, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Digital Civil Liberties
3 credits
This readings seminar will focus on emerging issues of civil liberties in our digital society, with special attention paid to privacy and freedom of speech in the age of social media, platforms, and artificial intelligence. We will explore the potential and dangers of the Internet revolution in communications, and how it is affected by the activities of users, by companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, and by government attempts to restrain or shape the evolution of online activity through law. The course will be structured around discussions of principal readings of relatively recent (and readable) books and articles, including the possibility of videoconferencing or in-person lectures with some of the authors to discuss their work. There will be three student papers required - two short papers due during the semester providing a critical review of one of the readings chosen by the student, and a slightly longer paper due at the end of exams comparing and critiquing two of the principal readings. In addition to gaining a deeper understanding of the topics of the books, we will work on developing essential skills for lawyers of close reading and clear and persuasive writing. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar. or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 779 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
First Amendment
3 credits
This course will examine the free speech, free exercise and establishment clauses of the First Amendment. About two-thirds of the course will focus on speech, including such topics as political speech (including campaign finance regulation), commercial speech, and expression in the public forum. The final one-third of the course will focus on religion, including such topics as freedom of religious practice, religion in schools, and religious displays and symbols.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 839 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law
3 credits
This seminar examines the Food and Drug Administration as an administrative agency combining law and science to regulate activities affecting public health and safety. Topics include testing and approval of pharmaceuticals and medical devices; food safety and nutritional policy; biologics and biotechnology regulation; cosmetic regulation; pricing of and reimbursement for drugs and devices; global aspects of pharmaceutical regulation, US and foreign patent issues, and FDA practice and procedure; jurisdiction and enforcement. A writing project involving research on food and drug issues will be required. RECOMMENDED COURSES: Health Law or Public Health Law, Administrative Law. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may be used to satisfy the requirement.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 802 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Health Care Finance
3 credits
This 3-credit course will cover the legal structures governing public and private health care finance. Topics will include an overview of health care and health care insurance markets, the economics of health care insurance, the Affordable Care Act (federal and state health care insurance exchanges, Accountable Care Organizations, design and administration of health plans, benefits design including Essential Health Benefits, appeals and remedies) and related litigation, ERISA preemption, determination of medical appropriateness and related ERISA provisions, provider reimbursement, Medicare and Medicaid regulation including Medicaid expansion. Grades will be based primarily on a 3-hour, in-class final examination. Student participation is required and will affect course grades. No prerequisites.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 867 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
HOSPITAL LAW
2 credits
This course focuses on the highly regulated industry of health care, but with attention to the law applicable to hospitals and health systems. The course will review Federal and State statutes, regulations, as well as case law relevant to hospital organization, responsibilities and liability, credentialing, fraud and abuse laws and compliance oversight. The course is intended to develop competencies in understanding health care and health care insurance laws and regulations as they pertain to hospitals, developing familiarity with the reimbursement (particularly Medicare & Medicaid), regulatory compliance and enforcement issues facing hospital counsel. In addition, it is expected that students will demonstrate legal analysis and reasoning, problem-solving and communications skills required for work in a hospital/health care setting. Through understanding core health care law principles, students will learn the foundational legal, structural and business aspects of the modern hospital complex. Understanding how hospitals fit into the broader health care environment of payors, physicians, patients, regulators and other health care providers, law students will be able to appreciate the challenging dynamics affecting the health care system and the role of the hospital, often at the hub of activity, both in terms of current practice, but also health care delivery system reform. After completing the class, students will have been exposed to the key health care-related legal issues facing hospitals that hospital counsel and other health care lawyers need to know. Additionally, recognition of these stressors will be important training for lawyers in other disciplines interacting with hospitals, such as labor and employment law, intellectual property, antitrust, criminal defense, environmental, corporate, employee benefits, tax, etc. Course materials include a case book, primary source documentation, and guest lectures from in-house and outside counsel representing hospitals.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 913 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY & LAW
2 credits
This course will examine innovation theory and how it applies within the legal profession. The initial focus in the class will be on the disruptive forces and 'megatrends' in the world today that have an impact on organizations and the practice of law. The class will introduce students to the many facets of innovation in the legal context, including the application of advanced technologies to legal problem solving, derivation of new insights from data science, changes to the traditional employer/employee model (the 'future of work' for professionals), alternative revenue/business models applicable to legal services providers, and incorporating lean startup/design thinking theory into legal problem solving. The unique innovation directive applicable to law firms will be closely examined, including the emerging application of advanced technologies - such as artificial intelligence and blockchain - to legal problem solving. Recent advancements in Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) and their application to the law will be closely examined. In addition, the course will examine the ethics and rapidly evolving legal/regulatory policy and practice issues with data and advanced technologies, and how this evolving ethics/regulatory field will impact organizations and their legal providers. NOTE: Final paper required in lieu of exam. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement either partially or in full.
Intellectual Property Research
1 credits
This course begins with an overview of basic legal research skills, processes, and resources using intellectual property subject matter. The course then proceeds to specific research strategies in copyright, patents, and trademark law, providing students an increased understanding of advanced legal research skills using: secondary sources, legislative history, administrative materials, and more. Students will gain an even deeper understanding of the context and framework of legal resources and how they are applied to real-world research from practitioner guest lecturers. Classes combine instruction and hands-on exercises, with an emphasis on exposure to databases beyond Lexis and Westlaw. Students are evaluated on weekly research assignments and a final research project. PREREQUISITE: Intellectual Property. NOTE: Students may not add this course after the first class is held. NOTE: This class counts toward the 6-credit Experiential Learning requirement. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 15 students. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: Students who fail to attend the first class or obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the class. Students on the waitlist are required to attend the first class meeting for enrollment eligibility
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 733 A1, Mar 2nd to Apr 22nd 2026
International Business Transactions
3 credits
This course provides a comprehensive survey of the legal and business issues arising in international commercial transactions. The course will cover key areas of international business and economic law impacting cross-border transactions, including: the basic documentary transaction (international sales and shipment contracts); agencies and distributorships; franchises and licensing; joint ventures; international project finance; and Cross-border mergers and acquisitions. In addition to substantive law, the course introduces students to essential lawyering skills crucial for success in international transactional practice. Students will develop their skills in negotiation, contract drafting, and client counseling.
Through a combination of doctrinal study, case analysis, and practical exercises such as role-playing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of international business transactions and the role of lawyers in facilitating these deals. The course will also address the importance of cultural awareness in international business dealings and explore topics such as corporate social responsibility and international dispute resolution. PREREQUISITE: Any course in International Law.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 842 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
International Economic Law and Climate Change
3 credits
The aim of this class is to provide an overview of how international environmental commitments and international economic commitments fit together within the global economic governance architecture. Students will explore the history of today's international climate movement, beginning with the 1992 Earth Summit (Rio) and covering the most recent commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They will explore the parallel way in which international trade and investment commitments have intensified during that time period, and the course will layout the various efforts by global leaders to harmonize the two (economic and environmental) regimes. The course includes topics such as (1) environmental disputes at the World Trade Organization, (2) investor-state dispute settlement targeting environmental and climate policies, (3) efforts at the bilateral, regional and mega-regional level to incorporate environmental commitments into free trade agreements, (4) unilateral efforts by the EU and the US to promote climate-friendly policy-making worldwide and (5) developing country perspectives in the "just transition" movement. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the points of harmony and tension between these two regimes and will have thought critically and creatively about the ways forward. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 748 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
International Law
4 credits
Sloane: This course will offer a survey of contemporary international law. We will consider both the classical law of nations and postwar developments, which have shifted the fulcrum of the international legal system from a relatively exclusive focus on the rights and duties of states inter se (as between themselves) to a broader focus on all of the participants in the contemporary international legal process—not only nation-states. Nation-states remain the chief actor in international law, but since the nineteenth-century, the amount and more frequent resort to law has led to both new substantive norms (doctrinally) and many new institutions and participants that’re also subject to international law, e.g., non-governmental organizations (NGOs), multinational enterprises of all kinds (MNEs), terrorist networks, criminal syndicates, and, above all, individuals, which in turn has led to int’l law’s effort to create and abide by a specific set of human rights. Specific topics may include (1) the history, nature, and sources of international law; (2) the establishment, transformation, and termination of states and other international legal participants; (3) national incorporation of international law, with a focus on core concepts of U.S. foreign relations law; (4) international law’s allocation of jurisdiction to make and apply law, as well as selected immunities conferred by international law; (5) international law’s effort to protect human dignity through fields such as international human rights, the law of war, and international criminal law; (6) control and regulation of the resources of the planet, with a focus on the law of the sea as a prominent example; and (7) the use of force.
George: This course will offer a basic survey of contemporary international law. It will teach students about the major issues of public international law and policy that influence current events, with an eye to both legal theory and modern legal practice. Specific topics will include: (i) the history, theory, and nature of international law; (ii) the sources of international law; (iii) the "actors" of international law -- states, international organizations (with emphasis on the U.N. system); (iv) the domestic incorporation of international law, with a focus on key concepts of U.S. foreign relations law; (v) international human rights; (vi) the use of force; and (vii) humanitarian law.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 927 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 927 B1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
International Law, Justice, and the Politics of Armed Conflict
3 credits
This course examines the application of international law to situations of armed conflict. The first part of the course provides a theoretical and historical background regarding international law governing the use of force, looking first at debates over the role and effectiveness of international law in international relations, turning to questions about how international law seeks to regulate the use of force in the international system and the extent to which actors comply with their obligations under international law. The second part of the course focuses on international humanitarian law, examining different forms of humanitarian law violations, considering how international humanitarian law affects the behavior of governments and non-state actors during conflict, and discussing why governments and non-state actors often fail to abide by international humanitarian law. In this section, we will also pay particular attention to specific cases of armed conflict – both interstate conflicts such as the war between Russia and Ukraine and civil conflicts such as Libya, Rwanda, and Syria. The last section of the course considers questions about the enforcement of international humanitarian law and attempts to secure justice for violations of international law, including discussions of ad-hoc international criminal tribunals, the International Criminal Court, and efforts to hold individuals accountable for atrocity crimes in domestic courts.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 697 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
International Trade Regulation
3 credits
This course focuses on the law governing international trade, including both the law established by the World Trade Organization and relevant U.S. laws. This will include an in-depth analysis of the treaties, regulations, and case law that govern international trade. The course will cover the basic principles and mechanisms of international trade law, including most-favored-nation (MFN), national treatment, dispute settlement, as well as relevant laws in different substantive areas such as tariffs, quotas, services, intellectual property, and trade remedies. The course will also examine the political economy of international trade relations, including how economic and political forces have shaped current regulatory policies and may shape future policies.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 858 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Jessup Moot Court: Problem Solving in International Law
2 credits
This course is restricted to students who applied and were accepted as participants for the Jessup Moot Court competition. A full description can be found here: https://www.bu.edu/law/current-students/jd-student-resources/legal-writing-appellate-advocacy-programs/appellate-advocacy-program-competitions/jessup-moot-court-competition/
PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: International Law (JD927).
NOTE: This class counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement.
FALL 2025: LAW JD 997 A1, Sep 2nd to Dec 19th 2025
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 997 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Law & Economics Workshop
3 credits
The Law and Economics Seminar is a research workshop. Class sessions will alternate between (1) lectures on selected topics in microeconomic theory and empirical methods, including methodology commonly used in law and economics scholarship, and (2) presentations of working papers by outside speakers (typically faculty members from other institutions). The specific legal topics considered will vary depending on the interests of the speakers, but all paper presentations will focus on application of economics concepts and tools to legal and regulatory issues. Students are responsible for preparing short memoranda that respond to the presented papers. Final grades depend on attendance and participation. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is not offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 940 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
Law and Sports
3 credits
This seminar surveys legal issues affecting the business of sports in America. Although there are no pre-requisites, students should be prepared to understand basic substantive principles of antitrust, labor, intellectual property, agency, tort and contract law and how they have influenced the: (i) evolution of professional sports franchises and leagues; (ii) relationship between players and owners; and (iii) value of the product they produce and exhibit across various distribution platforms. Particular emphasis will be placed on how to translate substantive law into the practical advice sports clients require on a regular basis, including issues involving the interaction among leagues, franchises and athletes, and distinctions between assets owned and controlled by athletes, as opposed to those owned and exploited by leagues and owners. Assets controlled by game rightsholders, sponsors, venues and other licensees and vendors also will be analyzed, as will the ways unauthorized third parties try to capitalize on them. Grades will be based on oral class participation, written case and contract interpretation exercises and written advocacy. There is no examination. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. OFFERING PATTERN: This class may not be offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 886 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
REPRESENTING LIFE SCIENCES CO.
3 credits
Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals are two of the fastest growing industries in the U.S., and the legal issues that arise in connection with representing them are complex and evolving. This seminar will focus on the transactional, intellectual property, and regulatory legal issues that challenge lawyers working with clients in these industries. We will begin with an overview of these industries, including a basic review of the sciences underpinning them (intended for non-scientists). We will then delve into complex legal issues such as licensing, collaborations, and consortium building; academic-industry interactions; the drug and biologic regulatory approval process; issues arising in clinical trials; and legal issues arising in the manufacture and distribution of life sciences products. If time permits, we will also examine the medical device industry and the ways in which that industry differs from the biopharmaceutical industry. In lieu of an exam, students will prepare a 25 page, journal-worthy article addressing a legal topic of the student's selection. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is not offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
Strategies for Bringing Technology to Market
3 credits
Graduate Prerequisites: (QSTSI750 OR QSTSI751) - Strategies for Bringing Technology to Market is a unique course that guides student teams as they undertake commercial go-to-market strategy for scientific and engineering breakthroughs. By collaborating with faculty and graduate students in the University's research labs and mentors from the business community, teams will assess the economic and social prospects of recent technology innovations, outline the technical and market risks and the key commercial milestones and make recommendations for the most effective commercialization strategy.
Project work is supported by lectures that focus on critical skills required. Guidance will be provided in assessing critical commercialization milestones by a combination of faculty and mentors from the business community.
Transaction Sim: Form and Financing a Start-Up
3 credits
Practice Areas: General Corporate and Corporate Finance This course is one of the semester-long transaction simulations offered as part of the Transactional Law Program. The simulated transaction is the formation and subsequent first-round venture financing of a new software business started by two entrepreneurs who are recent graduates of the California Institute of Technology. During this course, students will be exposed to, and will handle, the principal issues that arise in counseling entrepreneurs as to their emerging businesses, including key elements such as founders' arrangements, entity selection, governance, equity compensation, intellectual property protection, capital raising through SAFEs (which are simple agreements for future equity), convertible notes and preferred stock financing, capitalization/valuation/dilution and investment documentation based on industry-standard contracts. Through exercises both in and outside of class, as well as class discussions, students will simulate the work of practicing attorneys who counsel start-ups and their founders on a day-to-day basis. As part of these simulations, students will review sample agreements, draft and revise agreements and conduct negotiations. In addition, from time to time during the course, the instructors will address ethical issues and other practice points that can arise in connection with the simulated transaction or in transactional practice generally when working with emerging/start-up companies. The course grade will be based on attendance and class participation and three graded writing assignments. CLASS SIZE: 12 students. PREREQUISITE OR CO-REQUISITE: Corporations. Contract Drafting is recommended but not required. NOTES: This course counts toward the 6-credit Experiential Learning requirement and also satisfies the Transaction Simulation requirement of the Transactional Practice Concentration. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar will be administratively dropped from the course. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first class to be considered for enrollment. Because the course involves regular in-class exercises, some of which are done in teams, and class participation is a significant component of a student's final grade, regular class attendance is essential and thus the course cannot accommodate flexibility in attendance.
SPRG 2026: LAW JD 789 A1, Jan 12th to Apr 22nd 2026
*Enrolling in an independent study research project or a supervised field placement for which the student’s work is closely related to the law of intellectual property or information may qualify under exhibit C. Potentially eligible field placements include any externship seminar, including an independent externship or semester-in-practice, as long as the field placement work is primarily focused on intellectual property or information.
To inquire whether your planned paper, project or other activity can count as an Exhibit C offering, please send an email inquiry to any of the concentration faculty, with a cc to meurer@bu.edu . Similarly, if a student sees a course listed elsewhere at Boston University, or even at other schools, that the student would want to ‘count’ toward the IP&I Concentration, please send an email inquiry to any of the concentration faculty, with a cc to meurer@bu.edu .
4) Satisfactory completion of a substantial written work or works on a topic within IP&I. CORE IP&I FACULTY—If a student prepares his or her written work for a member of the core faculty teaching courses in IP&I , then to satisfy the Concentration Writing Requirement the student must obtain approval from that faculty member on both (a) the topics and (b) the quality, type, and length of the written work. The faculty member will employ for the latter the standard of the Upperclass Writing Requirement.
MATERIAL NOT WRITTEN FOR PROFESSORS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE CORE IP&I FACULTY: The Concentration’s writing requirement will be satisfied with the same written work that satisfies the existing Upperclass Writing Requirement, or that a member of the regular faculty (non-adjunct) states in writing is equivalent in quality, type and length to written work that would satisfy the existing Upperclass Writing Requirement, provided that a member of the core IP&I faculty approves that the topic is within the IP&I area. Students should ordinarily seek pre-approval of their topic by a core IP&I faculty member; in all events, the student must obtain the approval of a member of the core IP&I faculty that the written material as finalized focuses on a topic within IP&I. A member of the core IP&I faculty need not review the written material for purposes other than topic choice if the material has been properly certified for the Upperclass Writing Requirement by another faculty member, whether regular or adjunct, or if a regular faculty member (non-adjunct) has stated in writing that in quality, length and type it meets the requirements of the Upperclass Writing Requirement.
Students receiving a 3.5 grade point average in courses taken from Exhibit A and Exhibit B will be certified as earning honors in the concentration. All courses and seminars taken from Exhibit A and B that could count toward the concentration will be considered when determining honors unless, by the end of the applicable add/drop period, a student designates, in writing, that the student does not want a course/seminar that is taken that semester to count towards the concentration. This “opt-out” provision does not apply to courses/seminars that are needed to satisfy the minimum concentration requirements.
To ensure maximum flexibility for students in their future career decisions, the transcripts of students who elect the Intellectual Property Concentration will not reflect the concentration; rather, the BU Law Registrar’s Office will separately record completion of the concentration and honors in the concentration and will make available official documentation of completion of the concentration and of honors.
Important Note about Concentrating in Intellectual Property
A technical background can be useful in obtaining intellectual property jobs. It is not a requirement, however. Many areas of intellectual property practice do not require such a background, particularly in entertainment and art law.
Faculty
Our internationally-known faculty of IP scholars include:
Professor Michael Meurer is the faculty advisor for the Intellectual Property and Information Law Concentration. Students who have questions about the substantive aspects of the concentration may contact Professor Meurer (meurer@bu.edu ). Questions concerning the administrative details should be directed to Associate Dean Gerry Muir .