Intellectual Property Law

Who should be interested?

The programme is mostly designed for practitioners (solicitors, in-house practitioners, public servants, judicial officials etc.) looking for new professional challenges and extensive understanding of regulatory concepts and instruments of IP as well as for aspiring legal academics aiming at scientific or scholarly careers in this challenging discipline.

The approach

The programme is based on common philosophic and methodologic grounds, whereas legal pragmatism provides for core methodology and information philosophy serves as substantive philosophical fundament. On this basis, there is developed particular curriculum in main areas of European and international IP law that should provide for complex understanding of dominant regulatory phenomena – namely in copyrights, patents, trademarks and designs. Besides traditional mainstream concepts and cases, the curriculum also includes novel IP-related issues such as AI, distributed ledgers or complex protective instruments for biotechnological inventions.

The curriculum

The curriculum consists primarily of tutored research in the field of doctoral thesis. In addition, there are doctoral sessions, colloquia and tutored distance learning in IP law, Research methodology and Academic skills.

Full overview of the study plan can be found in the official study programme catalogue.

The curriculum will be organized in an interactive way in order to allow PhD students to gain feedback from their peers and other scholars. There will be regular doctoral sessions, colloquia and reading groups.

The programme could be studied as full-time (on-site) or as combined (i.e presence on site not required, however the student has to still attend the needed colloqiums/discussions/consultations/workshops in person).

Profiles of graduates

Intellectual property law is a well-established area of legal practice. Thus, it is likely that graduates of this doctoral programme will mostly aim at high-profile positions namely in professional legal service (soliciting or in-house practice) in national or multinational commercial establishment as well as in the specific administrative bodies dealing with the intellectual property law related issued (Industrial Property Office).
Nevertheless, there is a significant academic and scientific agenda in this field as well, so it is the primary aim of the programme to generate fully qualified academics and researchers and motivate them to engage in further academic work in the field of intellectual property law.

The study programme of Intellectual Property Law does not (cannot) replace professional preparation for regulated occupations (patent attorney, attorney-at-law, notary, judge etc.).