Intellectual Property and Information Policy Clinic
Founded in 2019, students in the Intellectual Property and Information Policy (iPIP, pronounced eye-pip) Clinic perform a range of non-litigation work for students, non-profits and coalitions who engage with IP or information policy issues from a social justice perspective. Each matter presents cutting-edge or novel questions while also operating as an effective teaching vehicle.
Through Casework and Seminar, Clinic students achieve the following objectives:
- Nurture the skillset necessary to become an effective lawyer, including the abilities to think, speak, and write effectively, accurately, collaboratively, and creatively;
- Foster a working environment rooted in hard work, trust, humility, respect and joy;
- Understand ten substantive IP and information policy doctrines;
- Think critically about IP and information policy’s claim to neutrality;
- Interrogate the effects of IP and information policy on marginalized groups, including people identifies by gender, indigeneity, race, sexuality, class, and disability.
To learn more about Casework in the Clinic, visit Our Work.
The Seminar consists of a range of sessions, including iPIP x Social Justice, Deep Dive, skills, case rounds, and workshop sessions. iPIP x Social Justice sessions teach students the doctrinal principles of ten areas of IP (copyright, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, patent, trademark, trade secret) and information policy (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the Freedom of Information Act, privacy, and right of publicity) while foregrounding how these doctrines engage with gender, indigeneity, race, sexuality, class, and disability. Deep Dives are supplementary iPIP x Social Justice sessions that teams of students design and facilitate. Skills sessions expose students to the importance of cura personalis, the power of editing Wikipedia, the challenges of movement lawyering, and the unique ways that practicing lawyers apply their skills at law firms, government , companies, nonprofits, academia, and anywhere else students choose to practice after graduation.
Case round sessions provide teams with the opportunity to reflect on professional ethics issues, including scope of representation and identifying client goals, confidentiality, competence and progress, and justice. Workshops empower students to present their draft work for feedback. Both sessions offer ample opportunities to share experiences, seek constructive feedback, offer suggestions to colleagues, and reflect on prior practice. These sessions encourage all students to think collectively and creatively about problem solving and continue the themes from other seminar discussions. Students should expect extensive feedback on their work and performance from supervisors, teammates, and other Clinic colleagues, and are expected to provide the same