The Certificate Program in Intellectual Property Law offers students with an interest in intellectual property law a framework to pursue that interest, as well as special and formal recognition for doing so. The program has flexibility to allow students to pursue a particular subset of courses related to intellectual property law.

Advising

Students are required to meet with one of the chairs or a faculty advisor by, at the latest, the beginning of the spring semester of the 2L year to discuss their interest in the certificate as well as their proposed plan for classes.

The co-chairs of the program are Professors Michael Carrier in Camden and Sabrina Safrin in Newark. Faculty advisors for the Camden campus are Professors Ellen Goodman, Camilla Hrdy, and Bill McNichol. Faculty advisors for the Newark campus are Professors Jonathan Gingerich, John Kettle, and Stan Tso.

Paperwork must be submitted to the campus chair before the end of the add/drop period during the semester in which the student expects to fulfill the requirements for the certificate.

Requirements

To complete the certificate program, which is open to all Rutgers Law School students, students are required to take a minimum of 15 credits in approved courses. All of the certificate-eligible courses must be taken for a grade and not pass/fail. Students must graduate with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the certificate-eligible courses to receive the certificate.

Rutgers Law School will endeavor to offer students reasonable opportunities to satisfy the requirements of the certificate program. It should be understood, however, that resources are limited and that the demands of the program will have to be balanced against other law school needs. Students are advised to plan in advance to maximize their opportunity to satisfy certificate requirements, including by seeking faculty guidance.

To earn the 15 credits, a student must take a combination of foundation and supplemental courses.

A student must take at least two foundation courses (if one of those two is an IP Survey course) or three foundation courses (if no survey is taken). A student can take no more than four foundation courses.

1. Foundation courses
  • IP Survey Courses: Intellectual Property or Fundamentals of Intellectual Property
  • Copyright or Copyright Law
  • Trademark Law
  • Patent Law 
  • Trade Secrets 

A student must take supplemental courses to reach a total of at least 15 credits.

2. Supplemental Courses
  • Administrative Law or Regulatory State
  • Antitrust Law or Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Artificial Intelligence Law or Artificial Intelligence and Internet Legal Policy – Emerging Law & Policy or Justice in the Age of AI Big Data Analysis and Social Justice
  • Business Organizations or International Business Transactions
  • Complex Litigation or Federal Courts or Remedies
  • Cybersecurity and Data Protection
  • Electronic Commerce
  • Fashion Law
  • First Amendment or Freedom of Expression
  • Food and Drug Law
  • Intellectual Property: Current Issues
  • Internet Law
  • IP Financing
  • Media Law
  • Patent Claim Drafting
  • Patent Litigation or Patent Litigation and Enforcement
  • Pharmaceutical Patent Practice
  • Privacy Law or Privacy and Information Law or Privacy Essentials for Corporate Counsel or Healthcare Privacy, Data Security & Technology
  • Right of Publicity & NIL
  • Sports Law or Sports Business Law
  • Entrepreneurship Clinic* 
  • Giles Sutherland Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court*
  • Intellectual Property Law Clinic*
  • Intellectual Property Practicum*
  • Oxford Intellectual Property Moot Court*
  • Trademark Clearance Opinion Drafting*
  • USPTO PTAB Moot Court Competition*

* = Capstone experience

If possible, students are highly encouraged to take a capstone experience, which includes the supplemental courses that are starred. It also includes journal notes, IP competitions, directed research (subject to faculty availability), and IP-related externships.