754 IP Transactions

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Enrollment Pre-/Co- Requisite Information

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Course Areas of Practice
Evaluation Methods
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
Degree Requirements
Course Type
  • Seminar
Learning Outcomes
  • Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, and written and oral communication in the legal context

Spring 2024

2024
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
Katie Ertmer

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2023

2023
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe, Katie Ertmer

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Syllabus: 754-01-Spring2023-syllabus.docx22.18 KB

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2022

2022
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Syllabus: 754.01.Spring2022-syllabus.pdf86.17 KB

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2021

2021
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2020

2020
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2019

2019
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2018

2018
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2017

2017
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2
  • Final Exam
  • Scheduled in-class examination
  • Class participation
John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; using intellectual property in financing start-ups; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; intellectual property licensing; and intellectual property in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy.

Pre/Co-requisites

Intellectual Property is highly recommended. If you have not taken Intellectual Property, there is a 40 page Appendix in the text (which is not part of the required reading) that covers many fundamental IP issues, and I will also spend the first half of the first class giving a basic overview of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
 

Spring 2016

2016
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

754.01 2 Kenneth D. Sibley, John Fuscoe

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are the currency of an innovation economy. Each of these forms of intellectual property may be bought and sold, licensed, or used as security. How each is used will depend on the business context; the needs of a start-up company being far different from those of a multinational corporation. This course will focus on intellectual property transactions in various business contexts, including: maximizing value and assessing risks; organization and financing start-ups involving intellectual property; protecting trade secrets; employment issues related to intellectual property; licensing; and intellectual property in public offerings and mergers and acquisitions.

Pre/Co-requisites

Law 270 Intellectual Property

*Please note that this information is for planning purposes only, and should not be relied upon for the schedule for a given semester. Faculty leaves and sabbaticals, as well as other curriculum considerations, will sometimes affect when a course may be offered.