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Intellectual Property and Technology Law Certificate
The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Certificate Program is offered under
the auspices of the J. Thomas McCarthy Institute for Intellectual Property and
Technology Law. The Institute is named in honor of Professor J. Thomas McCarthy,
a long-time faculty member and intellectual property law pioneer recognized as
a pre-eminent expert in the field. In 1999, the American Intellectual Property
Law Association named Professor McCarthy the most influential trademark expert
of the 20th Century.
The strong foundation of Professor McCarthy's work has expanded into a multi-faceted
Intellectual Property, Cyberspace, and Technology Law program at USF, a program
that includes: a distinguished faculty, a comprehensive curriculum with an international
perspective, innovative clinical offerings, a vibrant student organization,
and a nationally recognized student publication.
To receive the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Certificate (IP Certificate),
students must complete all of the specific requirements for this certificate
as well as complete all requirements for the J.D. degree. Students intending
to complete the requirements for the IP Certificate are subject to all of the
law school’s academic policies, including rules governing enrollment priorities.
Course Requirements
To earn an IP Certificate, a student must complete at least 15 units of approved
course work in the subject area, including at least two of the following core
courses:
Copyright Law
Cyberspace Law
Intellectual Property Survey
Patent Law
Trademark Law
Any remaining units (to reach a total of 15) must be completed by taking additional
core courses and/or courses selected from the list of approved IP
Certificate elective courses.
Scholastic Requirements
IP Certificate recipients must achieve a grade of C+ or higher in each course
applied to meet the requirements for the certificate, and, in addition, achieve
a cumulative grade point average of 2.700 or higher for all courses applied
to the certificate.
A student achieving a cumulative grade point average of 3.500 or higher for
all courses applied to meet certificate requirements of the certificate is awarded
the certificate “with honors”.
All course work for the certificate must be taken for a letter grade except
for any approved elective course in which credit/no credit or pass/fail grading
is mandatory. For any course in which a letter grade is not provided, a “credit”
or “pass” must be achieved in order for the course to be applied
to meet the certificate requirements.
Writing Requirement
To earn the certificate, a student who begins the second year in fall 2007
or thereafter must complete a substantial research paper analyzing a relevant
issue or problem related to intellectual property, cyberspace or technology
law. The paper must demonstrate the ability to identify, describe and analyze
issues or problems in the area and should, where possible, propose a resolution.
The paper must meet the standards for an Upper Level Research and Writing Requirement
project and may be used to satisfy that requirement and/or the requirements
of a course taken for credit. The paper must meet these standards even if it
is not used to satisfy the Upper Level Research and Writing Requirement.
Transfer Units
All course work must be taken at USF except one elective course, for a maximum
of three units of credit, may be taken at another law school and applied to
meet the requirements of the IP Certificate with prior approval by the Assistant
Dean for Academic Services. The course must be a letter graded classroom course
in which a grade of C+ or higher is earned.
A course taken at another law school will be transferred only as a credit for
purposes of determining the IP Certificate grade point average as well as for
calculating the USF semester and cumulative grade point averages.
Applying for the Certificate
To be eligible to receive an IP Certificate, a student must submit an application
to the Office of the Law Registrar. Applications will not be accepted until
the student’s last semester, and they must be submitted on or before the
last day to add classes in that semester.
Students may obtain only one certificate. No student shall be awarded more
than one certificate upon completion of the J.D. degree notwithstanding that
the student may have completed all requirements of more than one certificate
program.
It is each student’s responsibility to insure that all requirements for
the IP Certificate are satisfied in a timely manner.
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