This course will cover the core concepts of U.S. patent law with special focus on the issues of patent reform that have been raised over the past few years. Using the perspective of an inventor or entrepreneur, we will examine how patents are used as a business tool to commercialize new technologies and innovations. We will also consider fundamental policy questions about the current patent system such as whether it favors big institutions over independent inventors or start-ups and whether it inhibits scientific research and access to medicines.
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Great professor, but you BETTER LOVE PATENT LAW! Seriously, it's not that it's incredibly difficult, but it's not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure that it technically is a prerequisite, but I couldn't imagine being able to follow without having taken Intro to IP. He assumes a lot of knowledge, this class really fills in the gaps and goes into more depth than the intro class. Fairly straightforward lectures about cases using powerpoint (so you don't have to write everything down). If you want to do patent law, consider yourself lucky to be learning from a top academic.
Just because Merges is considered a top academic in the field of patent law does not make him a good professor. He is almost always late to class, keeps the class after, and overall, does a poor job of keeping the class interested in the material. He will often talk about unassigned and pending cases for 30 minutes, which is unhelpful because the students are too busy trying to type down the stuff on the slides to actually listen to what he is saying. In covering material not assigned, he makes it hard to follow his class, especially one has detailed as patent law.
I question if he even cares whether his students learn about the nuances of patent law. I really wish I hadn't taken this class with him.
The plusses: The reading is manageable because you've probably read a lot of the cases for Intro. Additionally, he never calls on anyone. Just lecture.
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