Akron Law Announcements

We are pleased to be able to offer a one-credit, eight-week course, Overview of Chinese Intellectual Property Law, which will be taught by Professor Yang Ming of Peking University Law School in Beijing, China. As China grows increasingly powerful and influential in world trade, Chinese Intellectual Property Law will become increasingly important to American businesses and lawyers.

Here is Professor Yang’s description of the course:

This course is intended for students to understand Chinese IP law generally, mainly the relative legislations, cases and some disputes among scholars and judges. The course begins with an analysis of the competing policies underlying the IP laws. It covers the basics of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secrets and other IP-related areas of law, as well as some of the salient controversies in IP law, including copyright infringement on Internet, cross-class protection of well-known mark, some flaws about procedures in the field of patent law, the application of related doctrines to the field of anti-unfair competition, and etc.

This course will meet twice a week for one hour beginning the week of February 6, 2012. We have tentatively scheduled the class for 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. We have the flexibility to change that schedule, however. If you can take the course at the scheduled time, please register for it. If you are interested in taking the course but cannot take it at the scheduled time, please let Misty Franklin know of your interest. We will then try to find a time when all interested students can take the course. You may contact Ms. Franklin at misty@uakron.edu.

The basis of evaluation for the course will be a paper.  Further details will be provided by Prof. Yang.

Certain course materials are now available from Ms. Aupperle.  sfauppe@uakron.edu.

For further information regarding the course, please contact Prof. Samuels.

Prof. Yang’s profile may be found at : http://en.law.pku.edu.cn/Teacher/teacherView.asp?id=62&mid=20101114292056&menuid=20091124932688&menuname=Faculty

Spring Term 2012

9200-705-801

9200-805-801

Mr. Kahrl

 

 

            This summary of the course provides information for students who are thinking of rounding out their schedule for the Spring 2012 term.  We will be teaching the skill of drafting intellectual property licenses, including licenses for patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights.  In addition, various laws and economic factors governing the formulation of licensing terms will be considered, such as the business considerations in licensing, the antitrust laws applicable to licensing arrangements, contract law, tax law, bankruptcy provisions, valuation of intellectual property, and licensing litigation.  This course was designed by Prof. Jay Dratler and will be taught as envisioned by him with a few modifications to fit the expertise of the instructor.   

            The textbook for the course will be K.L. Port, Jay Dratler, Jr., et al., Licensing Intellectual Property in the Information Age, 2^nd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, Durham, NC 2005), ISBN 0-89089-890-1.   Please do not attempt to use the first edition of this book; it is entirely different.   The university bookstore is stocking this book.  

            The course will work through the textbook at a pace of about one chapter per week.   Additional material will be available on the web, or through the course’s Springboard page.   The course will be governed by the syllabus, which will be posted shortly.    Uniquely, the course presents a series of drafting exercises to be completed by each student during the course of the term.   The current plan calls for six exercises spaced about two weeks apart, with the two longer exercises being allowed more time.   The exercises will be discussed in class both before the students attempt the exercise and after the exercise has been completed.  The grading of the course will be partially determined each student’s participation in discussion of the weekly readings, and partially determined by each student’s performance in the drafting exercises.  There will be no quizzes or examinations.   

            Prof. Dratler had taught this course in a format meeting twice a week.   The present instructor will present the course in a weekly three-hour session.   Students must prepare for this course recognizing that preparation will be required in the same amount as for two 90-minute classes.   The objective is for each student to be able to prepare a polished draft license agreement with all important clauses included and with all necessary legal and economic considerations covered.