School of Design, Engineering & Computing

IP Law brought to life for DEC students

7 February 2012

Intellectual Property Masterclass for Law and design students take place at BU.

The Intellectual Property Masterclass for Law and design students of the school of Design, Engineering and Computing (DEC) to develop Lawyer-client relationships took place in January 2012.

Over the next few months Law students will act as IP (Intellectual Property) lawyers for their peers, advising them on the legal issues surrounding their creative products. This project is successful in raising the awareness of IP for the design students and also allowing the law students to advise on real designs of the future.

Former Law Student Richard Hoare, who now works as a solicitor for Clintons, explained to the students the importance of creating a brand and protecting their work.

He said: “The Law-DEC IP master class is a good idea. At a time when competition for jobs is so fierce it is important to show you have practical experience on your CV. So this is going to stand students in good stead.”

Dr Tania Humphries Smith, Associate Dean of Design and Technology said: “The learning experience uses the clinical method and also involves collaborative student centred learning between Design and LLB Law (Intellectual Property Law) final year students at BU in a clinical style. The law students are required to advise on the intellectual property aspects of the designs produced by the Design students. As the Design students have to have fully developed designs they have both a genuine interest in potentially protecting their IP and a good level of detail and understanding of the design of the product. Therefore, providing the opportunity for LLB students to work with ‘real’ products that enables them to undertake ‘real’ searches and offer advice that has the potential to be taken up in ‘real-life’ by the Design student.”

The students will work in teams to understand the issues surrounding IP and design and put in to practise the theory they have learnt.

Dinusha Mendis, Senior Lecturer in Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) said: “The IP-DEC Collaborative Project provides the perfect platform for final year law students wishing to pursue a career in Intellectual Property (IP) Law. The cross-department collaborative project bridges the gap between academia and legal practice. IP law is brought to life by this exciting and unique project which provides a strong example of 'fusion' by combining education, research and professional practice.”

The students will be observed, with prizes sponsored by Paul Turner, a local retired IP Solicitor at Urquhart-Dykes & Lord LLP, for the best IP student, best design student and best group.

Paul said: “IP and design students working together is a very good, innovative idea. With copyright and other laws changing it is good practise for the students to keep up”