Our Mission

The Center for Intellectual Property Research was founded at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2010. The Center trains students who are passionate about innovation and creativity and who seek an intensive experience in all aspects of intellectual property law including patent, trademark and unfair competition, copyright, Name Image and Likeness (NIL), design and information policy. The Center’s comprehensive curriculum, a facet of Maurer's Law & Technology Program, features nearly two dozen courses, colloquia, and seminars in all areas of intellectual property and information policy. Approximately 100 Indiana J.D. and international students participate in some aspect of the Center’s work in a typical year.

The Center’s mission is to promote the development of a vibrant community of intellectual property law scholars, professionals and students. The Center strives to achieve this goal by building connections to the national and international intellectual property law community, offering a forum of distinction for the exchange of ideas in intellectual property law and policy. The Center’s substantive focal points are two: (1) the intersection between intellectual property law and complex technologies and (2) the global nature of intellectual property policy.

The Center seeks to:

• develop an innovative intellectual property law curriculum for JD and LLM students offering exposure to intellectual property doctrine and theory, practical skills, comparative and international study, and interdisciplinary perspectives
• host visiting intellectual property law scholars from the U.S. and abroad
• coordinate the law school’s outreach efforts in intellectual property law
• partner with other Indiana University campus units, Purdue University, Rose-Hulman, other educational institutions in Indiana and elsewhere, non-profit organizations and technology firms to help facilitate exchange between innovators and legal professionals
• support intellectual property law research with an eye to its practical application