Studying Intellectual Property and Technology Law at Maryland Carey Law
Intellectual property and technology law is the field where legal protections for creativity and innovation intersect with the technologies transforming how we create, share, and use them. The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program (formerly the Intellectual Property Law Program) at Maryland Carey Law brings together a deep curriculum, hands-on client work, and faculty whose scholarship is helping shape this evolving field.
The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Track
The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Track (formerly the Intellectual Property Law Track) is a structured path for students who intend to practice in the field. The Track grounds students in patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, while its electives let them go deeper in those areas or explore how they intersect with fields like artificial intelligence, media, and cybersecurity. Combined with a hands-on experiential requirement, these form a recognized credential in intellectual property and technology law.
A student who completes the Track can counsel a client on protecting and commercializing an invention, handle patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters, and work through the legal and policy questions that come with new technology.
The following is the A.B.A. Standard 301 Statement Regarding Learning Outcomes for the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Track at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law:
Knowledge and Understanding of Substantive and Procedural Laws
- Understand the core doctrines of intellectual property and related laws, including patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws.
- Understand the theoretical and policy justifications for protecting intellectual property and other intangible assets.
- Understand the different roles played by state and federal governments in regulating and protecting intellectual property.
- Understand the administrative processes in place at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office.
Legal research, Analysis and Reasoning
- Be familiar with and able to locate the statutes, regulations and foundational cases concerning intellectual property laws in the United States.
- Perform legal and related research directed to a variety of intellectual property law issues.
- Understand statutory interpretation and the importance of legislative history in interpreting and predicting the course of intellectual property laws.
- Perform legal analysis and reasoning, including the ability to provide objective evaluation and to formulate arguments, relating to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Legal Practice Skills
- Communicate effectively about legal matters, both orally and in writing.
- Develop skills in client interaction and management, including interviewing clients, setting appropriate expectations, managing workloads, and meeting critical deadlines.
- Work collaboratively with students, colleagues, supervisors, and other stakeholders.
Exercise of Professional and Ethical Responsibilities
- Understand and show commitment to zealous client representation.
- Understand and appreciate the importance of client confidentiality.
- Understand an attorney’s disclosure obligations to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and other administrative agencies and legal tribunals.
- Identify and address ethical issues in the representation of clients and performance of duties as an officer of the court.
Curriculum
Core Course Requirements
Track students must complete at least three of the following five core courses. All core courses must be taken for a letter grade, and course substitutions are not permitted.
- Copyright Law (3 credits)
- Intellectual Property Law Survey (3 credits)
- Patent Law (3 credits)
- Trademarks and Unfair Competition (3 credits)
- Trade Secrets (2 credits)
Elective Course Requirements
Track students will round out their training by taking at least three related electives, selected from the following list:
- Administrative Law (3 credits)
- Advanced Legal Research: Intellectual Property Law (1 credit)
- Antitrust Law (3 credits)
- Foundations in Business Law (3 credits)
- Health Law Seminar: Food and Drug Law (3 credits)
- Information Privacy Law Seminar/Course (3 credits)
- Intellectual Property Litigation (3 credits)
- International Intellectual Property Law (2 or 3 credits)
- Internet Law (3 credits)
- Journal of Business and Technology Law (1 or 2 credits)
- Law, AI and Big Data (3 credits)
- Law and Policy of Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- Licensing and Technology Transfer Law (3 credits)
- Patent Drafting (2 credits)
- Race, Technology, and the Law Seminar (3 credits)
- Regulating Emerging Technologies (3 credits)
- Sports and the Law (3 credits)
- Writing in Law Practice: Drafting Negotiated Agreements (3 credits)
The Experiential Requirement
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Best Clinical Training Program
-U.S. News & World Report
Experiential learning is where students take on real legal work under expert supervision. In intellectual property and technology law, that work turns on judgment: knowing what a client actually needs protected, recognizing when a technical question has become a legal one, understanding what is at stake when a filing goes wrong. Maryland Carey Law builds an experiential requirement into the Track because students who have already handled real matters begin their careers ahead, with skills employers are looking for and the confidence to use them.
There are two ways to satisfy this requirement:
Law Clinic
A semester in the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, formerly the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic.
Students provide supervised legal services to entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses. The clinic is certified under the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Law School Clinic Certification Program, which means enrolled students represent real clients under faculty supervision. Their work includes:
- Patents and trademarks: conducting searches, preparing and filing applications, and responding to office actions
- Copyright: registering works with the U.S. Copyright Office and representing parties before the Copyright Claims Board
- Trade secrets: counseling clients on protection, including drafting nondisclosure and related agreements
The Intellectual Property Law Survey is a prerequisite for the clinic and is offered in the fall and spring semesters. The Clinic Director can waive the prerequisite for students who have taken multiple other intellectual property courses but were unable to take the IP Law Survey course.
Externship
Through an approved externship, students earn credit for supervised work at a government agency or nonprofit in an intellectual property or technology field. Recent placements have included:
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- The U.S. Copyright Office
- The U.S. Department of Energy
- The Institute of Museum and Library Services
- TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation
- Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Course Sequencing
Track requirements can be completed in a number of ways. The sequence below shows the recommended path from the spring of the first year through graduation.
Recommended Track Sequence
| Term | Courses |
|---|---|
| Spring, First Year |
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| Fall, Second Year |
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| Spring, Second Year |
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| Fall, Third Year |
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| Spring, Third Year |
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Joining the Track
Students are encouraged to join the Track early to take advantage of benefits like:
- Events and programming that introduce different areas of IP and technology practice.
- Connections to faculty, alumni, and practitioners in the field.
- Advance notice of courses, clinic openings, and experiential opportunities.
Upon completion, students receive a Letter of Completion from the program director confirming their focus in intellectual property and technology law. To receive the letter, students must enroll by the semester prior to their graduating semester.
Students planning to pursue the Track register through the designated Blackboard course.
To enroll:
- Log into Blackboard
- Open the Course Catalog (under the Courses tab).
- Search for "IP Law Track."
- Click Enroll.
Faculty
The faculty teaching intellectual property and technology law at Maryland Carey Law are also publishing on it and advising the people writing its rules. That matters in a field where the legal impact shifts as quickly as the technology does.
Meet three of the faculty behind the program:
Patricia Campbell
Professor Campbell specializes in patent law and directs the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program. When the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland set out to modernize its patent litigation rules, it adopted her committee's revisions in full.
Natalie Ram
Professor Ram studies what legal protection means once a person's genetic data can be collected, searched, and used against them. She serves on the National Academies' Committee on Science, Technology, and the Law, and her research is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.
Liza Vertinsky
Professor Vertinsky's research asks what happens to intellectual property law when artificial intelligence can invent, create, and generate on its own. The Carnegie Corporation recognized that work with a 2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, one of the most competitive research fellowships in the country.
All Intellectual Property and Technology Law Courses
The Track is not the only way to study intellectual property and technology law at Maryland Carey Law. These courses are open to any student, and those with a background or interest in a STEM field should give them particular consideration, however a STEM background is not required.
The Intellectual Property Law Survey, a three-credit course, is a great place to start and assumes no prior exposure to the field.
Intellectual Property Law
- Copyright Law (3 credits)
- Intellectual Property Law Survey (3 credits)
- Patent Law (3 credits)
- Trademarks and Unfair Competition (3 credits)
- Trade Secrets (2 credits)
Specialized Intellectual Property Law
- Intellectual Property Litigation (3 credits)
- International Intellectual Property Law (2 or 3 credits)
- Licensing and Technology Transfer Law (3 credits)
- Patent Drafting (2 credits)
Experiential Learning & Practical Experience
- Intellectual Property & Technology Law Clinic – Patent (5 credits)
- Intellectual Property & Technology Law Clinic – Trademark & Copyright (5 credits)
- Intellectual Property Law Externship (3 to 11 credits)
- Journal of Business and Technology Law (1 or 2 credits)
Technology, Innovation Policy & Emerging Issues
- Cryptocurrencies (3 credits)
- Internet Law (3 credits)
- Law, AI and Big Data (3 credits)
- Race, Technology, and the Law Seminar (3 credits)
- Regulating Emerging Technologies (3 credits)
Privacy & Cybersecurity Law
- Cyber Boot Camp – Tech for Cyber Lawyers (1 credit)
- Information Privacy Law Seminar/Course (3 credits)
- National Security, Electronic Surveillance and the Fourth Amendment (3 credits)
Many other academic programs at Maryland Carey Law also offer courses focusing on specific technologies and the legal challenges they present. Examples include the Cybersecurity & Crisis Management Program, the Law & Health Care Program, and the Environmental Law Program. The Course Catolog has full details.