A-Z Guide to Careers in Intellectual Property Law

Innovations need protection from being illegitimately used by a third party. Intellectual property law serves as the protector of originality with immense career opportunities.

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property can be defined as the original property that belonged to the person or the organization where it has been created. Intellectual Property Law is a law that protects intellectual property rights. They are the legislations that grant original rights and ownership to the creator. The area offers great career opportunities for individuals who are inclined towards creativity and aimed to preserve and respect the originality of ideas. Intellectual Property Law is an emerging career in the twenty-first century with several job opportunities in the public and private sectors.

Education Requirement

Intellectual property law relates to the enforcement of laws to ensure rights related to securing inventions, designs, and other creations of the mind. In provides rights and protection over intangible assets. The field, therefore, requires in-depth knowledge about the laws related and the manner of their implementation and right interpretation. The sector has several opportunities, but only for well-qualified and skilled people.

After 12th, a five-year graduation program for the law is available and it B. Sc. LL.B. Thus student from any field can pursue their career. After graduation in the science and mathematics field, a three-year law degree, LL.B. can be done. Students aspiring to study ahead can undertake a two-year master’s program, LL. M, after graduation. Emphasis is also upon diploma courses so as to attain specialization in the field.

Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice and Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Management are also present in the field to enhance skills and intellect regarding the subject. Postgraduate courses such as Masters in Philosophy and Doctorate can be done in intellectual property law. India has some of the prestigious law universities that offer courses to highly skilled students.

There are 16 prominent National Law Universities, where admission is granted only after qualification of the Common Law Aptitude Test (CLAT). The test includes basic mathematics, aptitude, English and general knowledge. Other universities also conduct their respective entrance exams for admission.

The tuition fee for the NLU’s is higher as compared to other universities. NLUs are highly prestigious with skilled and advanced libraries and academic facilities. There are only 450 seats available in NLU’s for the students from all across the country. The annual fee structure of NLU’s range from 75000 INR to 125000 INR. For other Universities, the fees are much less and they range from 7,000 INR to 30000 INR. Foreign universities apart from graduation and post-graduation degrees provide a doctoral degree in Jurisprudence (J.S.D.), and Doctor of Comparative Law (D.Comp.L.). The annual fee structure in foreign universities ranges from 700000 INR to 1200,000 INR. Scholarships and fee concessions are available for meritorious students in India and abroad.

Career Path

Indian Institutes

Institutes	Courses	City	Website
National Law School of India	B.A. LL.B, LLM, M. Phil.	Bangalore	https://www.nls.ac.in/
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences – WBNUJS	LL.B, LLM, Doctorate	Kolkata	http://www.nujs.edu/
National Law University	LL.B, LLM, P.G. Doctorate	Bhopal	https://www.nliu.ac.in/
Indian Institute of Technology	LL.B Hons in Intellectual Property	Kharagpur	http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/topfiles/law.php
National Law University,	LL.B, LLM, P.G. Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice, Doctorate	Delhi	http://www.nludelhi.ac.in/
Delhi Faculty of Law	LL.B (3-year program after graduation)	Delhi University, Delhi	http://law.du.ac.in/
Symbiosis Law School	LL.B, LLM, P.G. Diploma Courses	Pune	http://www.symlaw.ac.in/
Indian Law Society’s Law College,	LL.B, LLM, M. Phil., Doctoral·	Pune	https://ilslaw.wordpress.com/
National Law University	LL.B, LLM, M. Phil.,Doctoral	Jodhpur	http://www.nlujodhpur.ac.in/index-main.php
National Academy of Legal Studies and Research,	LL.B, LLM, M. Phil., Doctoral	Hyderabad	http://www.nalsar.ac.in/
Faculty of Law, BHU	LLB, LLM	Banaras	http://www.bhu.ac.in/lawfaculty/
Gujarat National Law University	LL.B, LLM, M. Phil., Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Management, Doctoral	Gandhinagar	http://www.gnlu.ac.in/

International Institutes

Institute	Courses	City, Country	Website
Cambridge University	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral	Cambridge, U.S.	https://www.cam.ac.uk/
Harvard University	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral	Cambridge, Massachusetts, US	http://www.harvard.edu/
New York University	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral, Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.)	New York, US	http://www.nyu.edu/
Yale University	LLM, J.D., and J.S.D.	Yale, US	http://www.yale.edu/
University of California	Post-graduation, Doctoral,  J.D., and J.S.D.	Berkeley, US	http://www.berkeley.edu/
Stanford University	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral	Stanford, US	https://www.stanford.edu/
University of Michigan	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral	Ann Arbor, U.S.	https://www.umich.edu/
Oxford University	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral, and Diploma in Intellectual Property Law	U.K	https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/
University of Chicago Law School	Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctoral	Chicago, U.S.	http://www.law.uchicago.edu/

Job Opportunities

Creativity and imagination have gained wings in the twentieth century. The originality of an idea is gaining importance and hence there emerges a need to protect intellectual property rights.  It has have led to intellectual property law and several job opportunities in this field. A qualified individual in the field of intellectual property law can work in cases related to the infringement of rights and liberties related to the privacy of the product such as slogans, logos, product names, artwork, movies, books, music, and other information.

A law graduate, after clearance of the bar association’s exam, can practice as a lawyer and work on several cases related to intellectual property law. The lawyers are also hired by several government institutes, private law firms and nonprofit organizations. The major work involves protecting the original rights through Licensing, Patent, Trade Secret, Copyright, and Trademark of the product.

Other job opportunities in intellectual property law include teachers and lecturers in various renowned universities. Law graduates can prepare for higher posts such as civil services and judicial services. Journalism publishing of law related books and research papers and social activists are some of the other opportunities that an intellectual property law-educated individual can advance in.  Job profiles in this field are filled with immense hard- work but pay well when a person through his skills, establish as a capable lawyer. Patent lawyers are in demand and hired by large to small-scale companies.

Intellectual Property law offers job opportunities in not only Copyright and Patent Law, but also in Chemical, Mechanical, IT, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Patent Practice. Civil services and judiciary posts can be acquired through qualifying the concerned exams. The salaries depend upon the experience and qualifications. The average pay scale for lawyers ranges from 8,000- 25,000 INR per month. In civil services job profiles, the salaries range from 35,000- 50,000 INR. It is a job that offers prestige, recognition and good pay scales.

If you are inclined towards providing justice and preserving the value of intellect, then intellectual property law is the perfect career option. The field aims to provide a legal outlook and protection to innovativeness. It is an extremely broad field and has become an integral part of the economic expansion of the country. The protection of intellectual property rights, therefore, provides great opportunities for law-educated aspirants.

Also Read:

• How to Become a Lawyer
• Career as a Corporate Lawyer
• Career as a Criminal Lawyer
• Career in Cyber Law
• Career as a Public Prosecutor
• Career in Maritime Law
• Career in Law
• Career in Civil Law
• How to be a Judge