MSU Law offers new masters’ programs on intellectual property for law graduates and non-lawyers

by Russ White

August 25, 2004 - The MSU College of Law (MSU Law) has established the Master of Law (LL.M.) and Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) Program in Intellectual Property and Communications Law, programs specifically designed to meet the fast-growing demand for attorneys and professionals working in the intellectual property (IP) and communications areas.

“Intellectual property and communications law have undergone major changes and expansion in the past few years,” said MSU Law professor Peter Yu, the founding director of the law college’s Intellectual Property and Communications Law Program. “This new program will allow students to have a deeper understanding of these changes and be better prepared for their professional needs. The program also will enable students to have more satisfactory and financially rewarding careers.”

The LL.M./M.J. Program includes two masters’ degrees. The LL.M. degree is aimed at lawyers and recently graduated law students. The M.J. degree is designed for non-lawyers, such as doctoral students in other disciplines, policymakers, government officials, business executives, intellectual property agents, journalists, media professionals, scientists and computer programmers.

MSU Law professor Kevin Saunders, a leading First Amendment scholar who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and recently published a book, “Saving Our Children from the First Amendment” (NYU Press, 2003), said there is a need for innovative advanced-degree IP programs.

“As these rapidly evolving areas of the law raise new problems in many areas of legal thought, including free expression rights, the depth of knowledge an LL.M. provides is becoming essential,” he said.

“Few areas of the law require as much specialized knowledge as do intellectual property and communications,” concurred MSU Law professor Adam Candeub, who joined the faculty this fall from the Federal Communications Commission.“ Good intellectual property and communications lawyers are technologists, economists, and political scientists, as well as lawyers.”

Students enrolled in the LL.M./M.J. Program will be able to select from more than 20 courses in copyright, patent, trademark, as well as communications and entertainment law. They also will be able to participate in a rich array of co-curricular activities, including lectures, symposia, externships, student organizations, and faculty supervised research. The program is open to both domestic and international students. Students may enroll on a full- or part-time basis.

Founded in 2003, the Intellectual Property and Communications Law Program at MSU College of Law is a leading program in the nation focusing on the intersection of intellectual property and communications law. Working closely with the various internationally recognized colleges and research centers at MSU and the intellectual property and technology law faculty at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, the program seeks to promote global, interdisciplinary understanding of intellectual property and communications law.

MSU College of Law was founded as the Detroit College of Law in 1891. To extend its commitment to educational excellence, the college affiliated with MSU in 1995 and moved to MSU’s East Lansing campus in 1997. The move enabled the law college to build state-of-the-art facilities and to provide the benefits of a Big Ten campus.

MSU College of Law strengthened its affiliation with Michigan State University this year, becoming more closely aligned academically. The association between the two schools has led to a comprehensive interdisciplinary legal education program at the law college. Today, the college remains the nation’s oldest continually operating independent law school and one of only two private law schools to be affiliated with a research university.

For information about applying to the LL.M./M.J. Program, contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at (517) 432-0222, or toll-free in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 844-9352, or by e-mail at law@law.msu.edu