One might say, “better late than never,” or one might say, “darn you Little Leo! This looks great but the notice is too short.” Let’s hope for the former in this case. [You can take the lion out of Africa but you can’t take African village time out of the lion?]
An American university, called American University, has teamed up with a variety of scholars, practicing attorneys, WIPO and the WTO to present a summer series of Intellectual Property-focused courses for law students and attorneys alike. Participant hopefuls can apply for the full set of courses or individual topics. Two course are taught in Geneva, at WIPO and the WTO, respectively; the rest are in Washington, DC. The first courses kick off rather soon, on 2 June, but it does look like applications are still being accepted, at least for the later courses. The Geneva courses do not begin until 1 July.
The conversations in these courses (at least the conversations the organizers of these courses hope they will have) are exactly the kind that can benefit from more African IP voices. If you’re great with doing things on the fly, and particularly if you’re already near DC or Geneva, it’s worth taking a look at the program. This is an annual thing, so if you can’t attend this year, you can start planning for next.
Full info is available here: http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/resources-for-students/summer-session
Courses and dates are as follows:
- Introduction to International Intellectual Property Law I: Foundations June 2-5
- Introduction to International Intellectual Property Law II: Practicum June 2-5
- IP Management and Business Strategy June 6-7
- IP Protection of Mobile Applications June 9-10
- Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development June 11-12
(This Little Leo is very excited to be attending this one) - Copyright, Clearance & Fair Use in the Film Industry June 13-14
- Standard Essential Patents June 16-19
- Design and Fashion Protection June 16-19
- Post Grant Review Before the Patent and Trademark Office June 16-19
- Pharmaceutical Regulation and Litigation Under Hatch Waxman June 20-21
- International Intellectual Property at the World Intellectual Property Organization
July 1-July 19 - The World Trade Organization: Rule Making and Dispute Settlement July 1-July 19