The School of Law, Santa Clara University invites applications for the Summer Abroad Program 2018 to Munich, Germany, which is a focal point of both German and European intellectual property law.

The program offers Classes and Externships.

Eligibility

Santa Clara University School of Law (“Santa Clara Law”) summer abroad programs are available to:

  1. Students at ABA approved law schools who will have completed at least one year of law studies (full time or part time) by the end of the spring term
  2. Students at California accredited law schools who have completed 24 units of study by the end of the spring term with a B average or higher
  3. Students in good standing from non-U.S. law schools accredited by appropriate authorities in the country where the law school is located
  4. Graduates of accredited law schools

Class: Comparative Intellectual Property Law (5 units)

The focus of this program is on European intellectual property law, with some comparative reference to U.S. intellectual property law. Patent law is studied in some depth. However, no expertise or prior background is needed for the course work.

The course is designed as an introduction for the generalist as well as those seeking to specialize eventually in intellectual property law. The academic component of the program consists of a single four-week class on European Intellectual property law.

Topics to be studied include the European Patent Convention and European Patent Office, the legal structure of the European Union, the Unitary Patent, European Trademark Law (including the Community Trade Mark Directive), European Design Law (including the Community Design Directive), European Copyright and Electronic Commerce Law, European Competition Law, and Geographical Indications of Origin.

Students will study the procedures for filing and prosecuting patent applications in the European Patent Office and for perfecting a patent grant into national patents, the relationship between EPO grant procedures and national patenting, and the rights of employed inventors in Germany and elsewhere.

Classes generally are held between 9:00am and 1:00pm, Monday – Friday, with some exceptions. A final examination is given at the conclusion of the academic component. All courses and lectures are in English.

Externships: Munich (3 – 4 units)

Externships are available at private intellectual property law firms and some institutions situated in and around Munich. These externship placements require either German language skills or a technical background, but not both. Students gain valuable practical experience by doing legal work under the supervision of a professional in the host country, while integrating into the legal culture of the country, and make invaluable professional contacts.

The expectation of an extern is full-time work during the period of the externship (e.g., 40 hours or more a week of supervised legal work); however many students start a part-time externship in Munich concurrently with the course and continue full-time at the conclusion of the course. Santa Clara Law requires a minimum of 50 hours of supervised legal work for each externship unit of credit.

Note: Externship placements are based on a student’s technical and language skills, and may not reflect a student’s preference.

Fees & Financial Aid

Deposit: A non-refundable deposit of $300 for the class and an additional non-refundable deposit of $700 for an externship (if applicable) is required to secure your spot and it is applied to the tuition charge.

Tuition: The tuition charge is $1,125/unit for J.D. students. LL.M. students should contact us for tuition information.
In example, the total for 5 units of class is $5,625 for classes and an additional $3,375 for a 3 unit externship (if you select this option), for a total of $9,000..

Financial Aid: US law students are typically eligible for financial aid to cover tuition, airfare, housing, food, local travel costs and school supplies Financial Aid goes through a student’s home institution. A consortium agreement is setup between the home institution and Santa Clara University.

Important Dates

Anticipated program dates: 5/28/18 – 6/22/18
Approximate Externship Dates: 6/25/18 – 7/22/18
Externship Application Deadline: February 23, 2018
General Program Application Deadline: March 23, 2018

Contact

Email: cglp@scu.edu;  Phone: (408) 551-1955;  Fax: (408) 554-5047

Munich Program Director: Professor Tyler Ochoa, ttochoa@scu.edu

For FAQs, click here and for full details, view the official website link given here.