Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation
Why Intellectual Property?
One of the fastest growing areas of the law, Intellectual Property (or IP law) is the foundation for many business ventures and the legal system for defining private and public interests in the growth of knowledge. Intellectual property includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other legal protections for creativity and innovations. Patent law applies to inventions, from pharmaceuticals and chemical formulas to machines and computer processes. Copyright governs rights to text, images, websites, and software. Trademark grants rights to names, logos, slogans, and symbols used in the marketplace. IP law embraces an even wider range of concepts, such as right of publicity, unfair trade practices, and internet domain names.
Why IU Law-Indianapolis?
The IU School of Law-Indianapolis is well-positioned to have profound influence in the area of intellectual property law. The school's Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation (CIPLI) was created as a dynamic resource for attorneys, business leaders, inventors, and scholars—to assist them as they pursue endeavors related to intellectual property.
Located in the heart of the Midwest in the capital city of Indianapolis, the Center fosters collaboration among leaders in business, science, education, and law. Indiana's active, engaged, corporate life-sciences sector includes every major industry, including pharmaceuticals, hospitals, laboratories, medical devices, agricultural and organic chemicals, research, and testing. Indianapolis is also home to law firms and businesses that are among the nation's leaders in intellectual property development and management.
The Center's home is the IU School of Law-Indianapolis, the largest law school in the state of Indiana. Situated on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the Center draws on the expertise of these two major universities, with strong ties to the highly acclaimed IU Medical Center and the IU Kelley School of Business.
By developing resources and providing instruction in intellectual property law and related transactional areas, the Center will make important and practical contributions to the growth, development, and protection of innovation.
Center Goals and Activities
The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation was founded as a resource for education and research in intellectual property law—with particular attention to the life sciences. The Center's goals and activities include:
- Identifying the dynamic issues that arise in the area of intellectual property law and conducting original research to meet real needs and to facilitate the growth of commerce.
- Producing law school graduates with a strong knowledge of intellectual property law, who also possess the skills necessary to advise clients and conduct negotiations involving intellectual property matters.
- Serving as a resource for government, business, the BioCrossroads initiative (central Indiana's life sciences network), law firms, and “incubator” businesses and organizations.
- Taking a leadership role in providing graduate education designed to enhance the skills of practicing attorneys. In addition to offering a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Intellectual Property Law, the Center will sponsor short courses, seminars, and other continuing education programs to meet the changing needs of professionals working in IP law.
- Serving the diverse intellectual property needs of the community. The law of intellectual property is vast, and while the Center will embrace issues surrounding the life sciences, it will address other critical areas of IP law as well. Indiana is home to numerous arts organizations, publishers, technological industries, and other firms whose livelihoods depend on the effective application of patent, trademark, and copyright law.
The Center gratefully acknowledges the support and
sponsorship of the following organizations:
Bose McKinney & Evans LLP
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership
Guidant Foundation
Woodard, Emhardt, Moriarty, McNett & Henry LLP
