Intellectual Property Law: Course Details, Admission 2024, Fees, Eligibility, Syllabus, Jobs & Salary

IPR is an acronym for Intellectual Property Rights. These are specific legal rights that protect the businesses and owners of intellectual properties (IP) through patents, trademarks, and copyrights. IPR came into existence in the 19th century and in the late 20th century, it was accepted by a majority of the world’s legal systems.
Intellectual Property (IP) Law courses focus on protecting and enforcing IP rights like copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and geographical indications. These courses equip students with the knowledge to navigate the legal system surrounding the creations of the mind.

To pursue an Intellectual Property Law course, you typically need a Bachelor's degree in Law (LLB) from a recognized university. Some universities might offer diploma or certificate programs in IP Law with varying eligibility criteria, which may also include a law degree or a relevant bachelor's degree such as Science or Engineering. Top IP Law universities include the NLSIU Bangalore, Indian Institute of Law Delhi (IIIT-D), SLS Pune, and HNLU Raipur.

There are no entrance exams specifically for IP Law courses. Admission to most top universities offering these programs is based on performance in national law entrance exams like the CLAT or LSAT-India. IP Law courses are available at various levels, including postgraduate (LLM in Intellectual Property Law), diploma, and certificate programs. Some programs might offer specialised tracks within IP Law, such as patent law, copyright law, or trademark law.

A strong foundation in IP Law is valuable for both domestic and international careers. Studying IP Law can open doors to careers in law firms, corporations, government agencies, and international organizations like the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Given India's rich heritage of traditional knowledge and geographical indications, IP Law is crucial for protecting these unique assets.

Intellectual Property Law Course Details: Highlights

If you are interested in a career in IP law, then you can get a degree from any of the colleges for intellectual property law courses. For a quick review, you can refer to the table mentioned below, it covers all the necessary details about the course:

Note- This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Intellectual Property (IP) Law course is a specialized legal program that focuses on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. These rights include patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. IP law protects the creative and innovative works of individuals and businesses, ensuring that they are not exploited or copied without permission. Intellectual property law courses in India typically cover a wide range of topics, including:

• The nature and scope of intellectual property rights
• Patents
• Trademarks
• Copyrights
• Trade secrets
• International intellectual property law and so on

In India, IP law is governed by a number of statutes, including the Patents Act, the Copyright Act, the Trademarks Act, and the Designs Act. These statutes provide a framework for the registration, protection, and enforcement of IP rights. 

Moreover, apart from degree programmes, candidates can also pursue diploma programmes or certificate courses in the field of Intellectual Property Law. Some of these popular courses are Diploma in Intellectual Property Laws, Post Graduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Laws, Certificate in IPRs- Law and Procedure-Advanced Level, Post Graduate Diploma in IPR and Labour Laws, Certificate in IPR and Patents Law, Certificate in Intellectual Property Law, Post Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law and Practice, etc.

Also Read About IP Law Course: 

Difference between Copyright and Patent

Why Choose IPR as a Career Option?

In India and globally, IPR as a career is very popular and that is one of the reasons many lawyers go for a specialization in intellectual property rights and practice in prosecuting patent law, IP litigations, copyrights, trademarks, etc.

Some of the benefits of starting a career in IPR are listed below:

1. Almost all businesses are now conscious about IPR and hire IPR lawyers to help them with procedures and legalities. Thus, the demand for IPR lawyers will eternally boom.
2. The growth of the industry is promising thus, businesses seek for lawyers who are highly skilled in practicing IPR laws, hence they pay handsome packages to IPR engineers and lawyers.
3. Several fortune 500 companies and other well-known brands like Google, Facebook, Ranbaxy, etc. have their internal team of researchers who are working on constant innovations. Also, they have their own IPR cells which unlock several job opportunities for experts in reputable brands.
4. IPR professionals who get a chance to work for MNCs like IBM or Dr. Reddy's Laboratories get an opportunity to handle international projects as well. 
5. An individual who has the right qualifications in IPR can choose to work in his or her core area of interest.
6. It is easy for individuals to follow a career in IPR. Candidates with technical degrees can take up IPR certification and courses, and move to work as an IPR professional.
7. Government of almost every country encourages companies to go for intellectual rights. Like in India, the government is encouraging startups to go for IPR by sponsoring registration fees of their IP. All these activities have multiplied the number of total registrations in the last 5 years. This has also boosted many infringement IP cases, which have indirectly boosted the requirement of IPR experts resulting in more employment possibilities.

Check out Copyright Law on Coursera 

Popular Online IPR Courses

People who learn IPR Courses are also interested in taking up courses & certifications like:

1. Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs (Coursera)
2. Intellectual Property Management in the Food Sector: Safeguarding Your Trademarks in the Global Marketplace (FutureLearn)
3. Intellectual Property Law and Policy: Part 1 (edX)
4. Intellectual Property Law and Policy: Part 2 (edX)

What is the Intellectual property (IP) Law Scope?

Intellectual property (IP) law covers a broad range of creations of the mind, from inventions and artistic works to symbols and designs used in commerce. It grants exclusive rights to creators and inventors, allowing them to control and benefit from the use of their intellectual property for a limited period.

Here's a breakdown of the scope of IP law:

Goals:

• Incentivizes Innovation: By granting exclusive rights, IP law encourages creators and inventors to invest in research and development, fostering innovation.
• Protects Investment: It safeguards the time, effort, and money invested in creating original works or inventions.
• Promotes Fair Competition: IP law ensures a level playing field by preventing others from copying someone else's work without permission.

Types of Protected Works:

• Patents: Grant exclusive rights for inventions, new products, or processes for a limited period (typically 20 years).
• Copyrights: Protect original works of authorship such as literary, musical, artistic, and dramatic works, including software. Copyright protection typically lasts for the author's life plus an additional 70 years. 
• Trademarks: Protect source identifiers like brand names, logos, and slogans to prevent consumer confusion. Trademark rights can last indefinitely if properly maintained.
• Trade Secrets: Protect confidential information that gives a business a competitive advantage, such as formulas, recipes, or processes. Trade secrets have no expiration date as long as they are kept confidential.
• Industrial Designs: Protect the ornamental or aesthetic aspects of an article. Protection typically lasts for 10-15 years.
• Economic Impact: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) estimates that IP-intensive industries contribute around 5% of global GDP and support millions of jobs worldwide.

Overall, intellectual property law plays a vital role in fostering innovation, protecting creativity, and promoting economic growth.

Aspirants can pursue undergraduate (UG) as well as postgraduate (PG) level programs in the field of Intellectual Property Law. In UG-level courses candidates need to pursue integrated law courses wherein after completing a basic graduation degree they can specialise in Intellectual Property Law and can also pursue Diploma in Intellectual Property Law.

Moreover, in a PG-level law course, aspirants can straight away specialise in Intellectual Property Law. Some popular PG-level courses in Intellectual Property Law are – LLM Intellectual Property Law, LLM in Intellectual and Industrial Property Law, LLM in Intellectual Property Rights, LLM in Intellectual Property and Business Law, and other Intellectual property rights courses.

What are the Skills Required to Become an IPR Professional?

IPR professionals should have both soft and technical skills including:

Soft Skills

1. Good understanding of laws and their implications
2. Excellent negotiation skills
3. Good at keeping an eye on competitor’s strategy
4. Good at relationship-building with clients, media, press, and PR agents
5. Decision-making skills
6. Analytical skills
7. Precise attention to detail
8. Ability to perform a lot of research and draw conclusions
9. Experience in conducting due diligence
10. Research skills

Technical Skills:

1. Experience in legal and technical writing
2. Detailed knowledge of IP protection laws
3. Knowledge of drafting patent applications
4. Expertise in using tools like Questel similar patent search tools, Questel inventor portal, Orbit prior art search tool, etc.
5. Experience in the maintenance and generation of research & technical reports
6. Ability to draft assignment’s licensing and agreements
7. Skilled in creating valuation of intellectual property
8. Knowledge and experience in handling infringement and misappropriation cases
9. Basic knowledge of taxation and accounting esp. the ones related to IP
10. Expertise in maximizing royalty amounts
11. Requisite knowledge of handling pre-grant and post-grant opposition 
12. Ability to safeguard client’s business by obtaining legal injunctions
13. Knowledge of international laws and systems
14. Good knowledge of mortgaging and pledging
15. Portfolio management skills

Also Read About Intellectual Property Right Courses: 

CLAT Eligibility Criteria for UG and PG law courses

How to start a career in IPR?

• Taking up the LLB course is highly recommended to start a career in IPR. Many lawyers go for Masters in Law wherein they take IPR as their specialization.
• Others also prefer to go for a diploma course in IPR Law along with other recognized IPR certifications and courses.

CLAT UG and PG are the two most important entrance examinations to pursue a course in Intellectual Property Law. Some other entrance exams include SET conducted by Symbiosis University. Moreover, some of the top entrance exams for Intellectual Property Law course are given in the table mentioned below:

NOTE: This information is sourced from the official website of the institute/exam.

The subjects/ topics taught as part of the Intellectual Property Law course may vary from college to college. Therefore, candidates can check the exact syllabus for their law course from the law school/ university website only. Candidates can go through common syllabus of UG level law courses offered in India below:

Note- This information is sourced from multiple sources on the web. Hence, is subject to vary.

Intellectual property (IP) law is a growing field that protects the creations of the human mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, names, and images. With the increasing importance of innovation and creativity in today's economy, IP lawyers are in high demand.

Top Intellectual Property Law Government Colleges

Some of the top government colleges for Intellectual Property Law courses are mentioned in the table given below along with their tuition fees:

Note- This information is sourced from the official website/ counselling body and may vary.

Top Intellectual Property Law Private Colleges

Some of the private colleges are considered valuable for providing quality education with apt equipment and resources. Some of the top private colleges for Intellectual Property Law courses are given in the table below:

Note- This information is sourced from the official website/ counselling body and may vary.

Candidates who pursue a UG-level course in Intellectual Property Law can either pursue a PG-level law course with the same specialisation or can even consider getting a job. One of the most popular job profiles after completing a course in Intellectual Property Law is to become a lawyer in the same field.

Let's explore the table given below for different Jobs after Intellectual Property Law, along with their average salaries:

Note- The above salary has been taken from external sources, and hence may vary.

Intellectual Property Laws Top Recruiters

Intellectual property lawyers help companies or individuals in claiming and registering their intellectual property. Lawyers in the field of intellectual property law present and defend their clients during intellectual property lawsuits.

Law graduates must qualify AIBE exam to practice in a court of law in India. Some of the top recruiters for Intellectual Property Law are given below:

Read More: Career in Law

Here are some FAQs for Intellectual Property Law course: