WIPO-U.S. Summer School on IP

June 2-13, 2025 | Weekdays (Monday-Friday) only

2025 Program Format: Online

Hosted by IPPI: The IP Policy Institute,
a Washington, D.C. area-based center of
The University of Akron School of Law

— Applications are now closed —

View the agenda and confirmed speakers
(Last updated: June 10, 2025)

What is the WIPO-U.S. Summer School on IP?

WIPO hosts a number of Summer Schools around the world that focus on intellectual property (IP) law in those countries. As WIPO’s only U.S.-based Summer School, the WIPO-U.S. Summer School program is a two-week course that focuses on IP law in the United States of America.

The program consists of lectures, case studies, simulation exercises, and group discussions on selected IP topics, with an orientation towards the interface between IP and other disciplines. A certificate of participation is awarded to participants who successfully complete the program requirements (please see below).

This exclusive, two-week course will be held from June 2-13, 2025 (weekdays only). The program will be hosted online only (via MS Teams) from the Northern Virginia-Washington, D.C. area, one of the world’s key centers of IP law and policymaking.

Who should apply?

The Summer School program is designed for candidates who wish to obtain deeper knowledge of U.S. IP law. The program provides an opportunity for senior students, young professionals, and government officials to acquire deeper knowledge of each domain of IP law and of the role and functions of WIPO.

See the section on “Eligibility” below for more details.

Applicants are also welcome to take the course for neither the certificate nor credit and focus on the sessions most relevant to them and their organization.

Who is hosting the Summer School?

The IP Policy Institute (IPPI) at The University of Akron School of Law is partnering with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to host the 2025 WIPO-U.S. Summer School on Intellectual Property.

This is the eighth consecutive year that the members of the IPPI team have partnered with WIPO on the U.S. Summer School. For the previous seven years, the members of the IPPI team hosted the program from C-IP2 (formerly CPIP), a center that was housed at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School.

U.S. Law Students Can Receive 3 Hours of Academic Credit from The University of Akron School of Law!

See bottom of page for details

Students must be accepted to Akron Law as visiting students to receive academic credit.

Course Information

Eligibility*

  1. The Summer School is open to senior students (graduate and postgraduate students) and young professionals from any field of study or discipline.
    • A legal background is helpful but not required. While many Summer School participants have a legal background, others study or work in fields related to technology innovation or creativity and wish to learn more about how IP law relates to or functions within their chosen careers.
    • Applicants who are more senior in their field of IP law may find the WIPO-U.S. Summer School less challenging, but they are still welcome to apply.
  2. The working language of the WIPO-U.S. Summer School on Intellectual Property is English. Good knowledge of English is therefore expected from each participant.
  3. This is a live, virtual program held according to Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) [convert time zones here]. Students from other time zones must be able to fulfill the live participation requirements (6-8 hours of live sessions, between approximately 9 AM – 4:30 PM EDT, Monday-Friday, for two weeks).

*Exception for applicants from U.S.-sanctioned countries

  • If your country is under U.S. sanctions, you will need a license from the U.S. Department of Treasury to allow you to participate. This may apply to you if you are a national or resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), Syria, certain regions of Ukraine, or Sudan (for use of a Microsoft Teams license).
  • Applying for this license takes time. The earlier The University of Akron’s Office of Research Administration (ORA) begins a license request process, the greater the chances of obtaining the required license in time for a U.S. program. However, this process guarantees neither an approved license nor timely consideration by U.S. Treasury nor participation in a U.S. program.
  • If you were approved for a license in 2024: Unfortunately, due to administrative changes outside of our control, the license obtained in 2024 by George Mason University cannot be transferred to the new host organization at The University of Akron. We apologize for this inconvenience and would be happy to help re-start the license process, although we cannot guarantee your participation for 2025.
  • For the 2025 program: Unfortunately, at this date, we are not able to start the license process for new applicants from U.S.-sanctioned countries for the 2025 Summer School.
  • For the 2026 program: Please email Mary Clare Durel at email@uakron.edu to express your interest in participating next year. We can begin the license application process early and help you be in a better position for participating in 2026. Please note that we are planning to hold the 2026 program in person only (not online or hybrid).

Applying for the Summer School

There is a limited number of spaces, and applicants are encouraged to as soon as practicable. Once the program has reached capacity with fully registered applicants (that is, having been accepted by WIPO and also paid either registration to IPPI or tuition to Akron Law), registration will close.

Application and registration for the course take place in two main steps. Please follow these instructions closely:

  1. Apply: Please visit the WIPO-U.S. Summer School on IP on WIPO’s website to apply for the course. Applications must be submitted online with résumés, letters of motivation, and copies of passports (or identity cards). Selected applicants will be notified via email once their application has been accepted by WIPO.
  2. Register: Once you have received A) a notification of acceptance from WIPO and B) the welcome email from IPPI, visit the registration payment website linked in your welcome email and pay the registration fee. This will finalize your registration for the course.*
    • Alternative registration for U.S. students taking the course for academic credit: Please ignore both the steps above and the “Registration fees” section below and instead scroll down to the “Academic credit for U.S. students” section at the bottom of this webpage.

Registration fees (U.S. dollars)

Registration fees are divided according to “student” versus “professional” and “developing” versus “developed” countries:

  • Students from developing countries: US$175
  • Professionals from developing countries: US$300
  • Students from developed countries: US$600
  • Professionals from developed countries: US$850

Not sure which registration fee you should pay?

  1. Student vs. professional:
    1. If you are currently enrolled in an academic program, you may select a “student” option.
    2. If you are a professional not currently enrolled in an academic program, please select a “professional” option.
    3. Developing vs. developed:
    4. If you were born in and/or are a national or citizen of a developing country, you may select a “developing” option.
    5. If you were born in and/or are a national or citizen of a developed country, please select a “developing” option.
    6. The labels “developing” and “developed” can be confusing and lack nuance. For guidance in figuring out in which category a country would be placed, two helpful resources are the International Monetary Fund and info’s website.
    7. If you have further questions, please email Mary Clare Durel at mdurel@uakron.edu before you pay. If your registration payment does not match the information that we have on file from WIPO, we may reach out to you for clarification and possibly to request that you make an updated payment.

Deadlines to apply and pay

  • Last day to submit application to WIPO: Friday, May 9, 2025
    Extended deadline: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Deadline to submit payment to IPPI: Monday, May 19, 2025 (IPPI will not accept new registrants after May 19, 2025)

Cancellation policy

You may cancel on or before Monday, May 5, 2025, and receive a refund of the registration fee minus a cancellation fee of US$50. The registration fee will not be refunded for cancellations after May 5, 2025.

Regarding financial assistance

We regret that neither WIPO nor IPPI can offer any financial assistance to those seeking to participate in the program, nor are we able to identify any third parties that may be able to offer such assistance.

Certificate of Completion

A certificate of completion is awarded to all participants (whether credit or non-credit) who successfully complete the program requirements. To receive a certificate of completion, participants will be expected to be present** for no less than 80% of these live sessions and take part in discussions and projects. Certificates will be digital, and participants will receive instructions on how to access and download them at the end of the program.

***This is a live, virtual program held according to Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) [convert time zones here]. Before you register, consider your own time zone and whether the time difference will allow you to fulfill the live participation requirements (6-8 hours of live sessions, between approximately 9 AM – 4:30 PM EDT, Monday-Friday, for two weeks).

Note for returning students

Please keep in mind that the course content and objectives remain very similar from year to year. While you are welcome to apply again to the U.S. program, you may also consider taking another of WIPO’s international Summer School courses instead.

Academic credit for U.S. students

  • Eligibility
    • Must be a U.S. law student currently enrolled at either Akron Law or another ABA-accredited U.S. law school
    • If not an Akron Law student, must apply to Akron Law and be accepted as a visiting student
  • Applying
    • Akron Law students
      • Apply for the U.S. program on WIPO’s website (WIPO requires this for credit students in order to make sure their system and communications are accurate).
      • Once Akron Law opens registration, add the course in My Akron (listed as “LAWX 684-002 – Sem: Selected Legal Problems (WIPO Summer School)”) and pay tuition. You do not need to wait for your official welcome email.
    • Non-Akron Law U.S. law students
      • Apply for the U.S. program on WIPO’s website.
      • Apply to Akron Law as a visiting student (learn how).
      • After being accepted as a visiting student, add the course in My Akron and pay tuition. You do not need to wait for your official welcome email.
    • Payment
      • Credit students will pay tuition to Akron Law instead of any of the non-credit registration fees listed on this page. IPPI may provide a payment link to all accepted students, but if you are a credit student, ignore the payment link and pay tuition only on My Akron.
    • Participation and grading
      • All Summer School participants will be expected to attend and participate in no less than 80% of the program sessions. Attendance and participation will be tracked and recorded.
      • This is a Pass/Fail course, based on attendance/participation and successful completion of a take-home exam at the end of the program. Visiting students, please confirm with your home institution if they will accept credit transfers for a Pass/Fail course.
      • Credit students who successfully complete the course will also receive a Certificate of Completion from WIPO.