Intellectual property law is a specialisation of law designed to protect the marketable and innovative work of individuals. The intellectual property law is the domain of the law that deals with the legal rights of individuals related to creative work and inventions. Laws associated with intellectual property determines who can use the creations like artistic works, new products and designs. The intellectual property law was originally formulated so that the creator who spends time and efforts in invention or creation could genuinely profit from their work.
Some of the popular areas where intellectual property law comes into play are Patents, Industrial Design Rights, Trademarks, Trade Dress, Plant Variety Rights, Trade Secrets, Copyright and the likes.
Candidates aspiring to pursue the intellectual property law can undertake undergraduate as well as postgraduate programmes. In the undergraduate level candidates either need to go for integrated law courses or they are required to complete a basic graduation degree to specialise in the intellectual property law. For specialising in postgraduate intellectual property law, a candidate can straight away apply for the course. Some of the leading intellectual property law courses comprise LLM in Intellectual Property Rights, LLM in Intellectual and Industrial Property Law and LLM in Intellectual Property and Business Law, LLB In Intellectual property Rights etc.
Apart from the UG and PG degree programmes, candidates can also pursue diploma and certificate courses in the Intellectual Property Law. Some of the popular certificate and diploma courses include Diploma in Intellectual Property Laws, Certificate in IPRs- Law and Procedure-Advanced Level, Post Graduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Laws, Certificate in IPR and Patents Law, Post Graduate Diploma in IPR and Labour Laws, Certificate in Intellectual Property Law etc.
Each college has a separate set of eligibility criteria for Intellectual Property Law. Candidates wishing to pursue the course need to satisfy the condition laid down by the university/college. Captured below are the minimum eligibility parameters that need to be met by the aspirants or else their admission will be considered as invalid.
Before enrolling a candidate to pursue the intellectual property law course, it is necessary to undergo the admission process and selection process of the college successfully. The process of admission varies from college to college. Enlisted below are the criteria that are generally considered for admission to the intellectual property law.
Enlisted below are the names of the law entrance exams that a candidate can prepare for in order to get through the top-notch colleges of the nation and study the intellectual property law.
Common-Law Admission Test (CLAT)
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
All India Bar Exam (AIBE)
All India Law Entrance Test (AILET)
Telangana State Law Common Entrance Test (TS LAWCET)
Andhra Pradesh Law Common Entrance Test (AP LAWCET)
Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH CET Law)
Many top-notch law colleges in India offer intellectual property law courses. Mentioned below are a few of them that a candidate should consider before applying for admission.
NLU Hyderabad - Nalsar University of Law
Parul University
Symbiosis Law School, Pune
GNLU Gandhinagar (NLU) - Gujarat National Law University
HNLU Raipur - Hidayatullah National Law University
School of Law, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies
BHU - Banaras Hindu University
NLU Kolkata (NUJS) - The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
NLU Lucknow (RMLNLU) - Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University
The syllabus of intellectual property law varies from college to college and courses to courses. Here is a glimpse of the topics that students might encounter while studying the law specialisation in intellectual property.
Legal History of Courts |
Civil Procedure Code & Law of Limitation |
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Family Law I |
Legal Methods + Legal Reasoning |
Constitutional Law II |
Jurisprudence |
Fundamentals of Moot Court |
Family Law II |
Company Law I |
Client Counselling |
Interpretation of Statutes |
Law of Crimes I |
Patent Drafting and Specification writing |
Law of Contracts I |
Law of Crime II |
Environmental Law |
Law of Industrial & ICL Designing |
Company Law II |
Law of Trademark & Drafting |
Right to Information |
Legal Language & Legal Writing |
Law of Copyrights Specifications & Claims |
Public International Law |
Trial Advocacy (Clinical-3) |
Administrative Law |
Taxation Law |
Jurisprudence |
Law of Evidence |
Public International Law |
Legal Method & Legal Reasoning |
Torts & Consumer Protection Law |
Fundamentals of Moot Court-(Clinical-1) |
Pleading, Drafting & Conveyance |
Private International Law |
Property Law including Transfer of Property Act & Easement Act |
Comp Pub Law & Criminology &Criminal Justice Adm |
Taxation Law & Private International Law |
Environmental Law & Law of Patents -(Hons-3) |
Comp Pub Law & Criminology &Criminal Justice Adm |
International conventions on Intellectual Property |
Biomedical Law and Ethics |
Housing Law & Law of the Global Commons |
Entertainment Law |
Industrial Visit- (Clinical-3) |
Air & Space Law |
Prof Ethics, Acc. for Lawyers & Bar Bench Rel. |
Arb. & Conci. & Alternative Dispute Res. Mech |
Law of Industrial & ICL Designing (Hons-5) |
Programme Elective |
Aviation Law |
Law of Copyrights Spec.& Claims –(Hons-1) |
Trade Secret & Technology Transfer (Hons-6) |
International Humanitarian Law |
Media Law, 3.Medical Law & Law and Governance |
Quantitative Techniques for Decision Making |
Comparative Jurisprudence |
Intro to International Intellectual Property Org |
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Introduction to Laws of IPR |
Constitutionalism |
Comparative Public Law / Systems of Governance |
Law and Justice in a Globalising World |
Legal Research and Methodology |
Law Relating to Designs and Geographical Indications |
Research Methods and Legal Writing |
Patents Law |
Law Relating to Trademarks |
Nature, Emergence and Development of IPRs |
Law of Trademarks and GI |
Contemporary Issues |
Copyright Law |
Teaching and Research in IPRs |
Law of Biotech Challenge of Traditional Knowledge |
Law of Patent |
Transfer of Technology and IPR Litigation |
Constitutional Law: An Introduction |
Nature and Content of IP |
Law relating to Trademark Geographical Indication |
Transfer of Technology and IPR Litigation |
IP Limitations, Exceptions and Public Interest |
International IP |
Law of Copyright |
IP Infringement, Remedies and Enforcement |
Comparative Public Laws/ System of Governance |
Law of Justice in Globalising World |
Laws on E-Commerce |
Law of Copyright |
Comparative Public Law |
Research Methods and Legal Writing |
Law of Patents and Designs |
Globalization, Law and Justice |
Competition Law |
The Law of Trade Marks |
Geographical Indications |
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Geographical Indications & IPR |
Introduction to Intellectual Property Rights |
Copyrights |
Biodiversity & Intellectual Property Rights |
The Law of Designs |
Industrial Designs |
The Law of Patents |
Traditional Knowledge & Laws Pertaining Thereto |
The Law of Copyrights |
Introduction to IPRs |
Geographical Indications |
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Plant Variety Rights |
Patents |
Trade Marks |
Industrial Designs |
Copyrights |
Introduction to Intellectual Property |
Maintenance of Intellectual Property |
Advance Topics / issues in IPRs |
Patent Process (India, US, Europe, via pct) |
Patent Prosecution, Searching and Drafting |
IP & Patent Litigation and Dispute Resolution |
After pursuing a course in intellectual property law, a wide door of opportunities opens up for the students. With the ever-evolving world, students are trying their hands on unique courses. Intellectual property law is surely one of those courses that are trending in today’s scenario. Listed below are the options that a student can look out for after completing a degree, diploma or a certificate course in intellectual property law.
The eligibility criteria for admission to LLM in Intellectual Property course is LLB from a recognised university with 50% overall marks. Admission to the course is done through the CLAT exam.
Yes. The NLUs offering LLM in Intellectual Property are NLU Jodhpur, NALSAR Hyderabad, NLIU Bhopal, HNLU Raipur, GNLU Gujarat, RMLNLU Lucknow, NLU Ranchi and NLU Assam.
Introduction to Law, Copyright and Design Law, Overview of Intellectual Property, Trademarks, Passing off and Geographical Indications, Advanced IP Issues, Patents, Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity, Plant Breeders Rights, IP Litigation, Commercialisation of IP and Licensing, and International and Comparative IP Law are some of the subjects of LLM in Intellectual Property.
Postgraduates with a degree of LLM in Intellectual Property are recruited as Legal Counsellors, Legal Administrators, Patent and Trademark Attorneys, Legal Experts, Lead Analysts, Patent Agents, and Patent Analysts. They can also opt for teaching as professors and lecturers.
All the National Law Universities (NLUs), Symbiosis Law School, Banaras Hindu University, and Faculty of Law - Delhi University are considered to be among the top colleges for LLM in Intellectual Property in India.
The fee structure for LLM in Intellectual Property falls roughly between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 5 lakhs. It depends upon the institute or university.