LL.M. Intellectual Property Law

Last Updated on July 29, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Have you completed LL.B.? Are you interested in pursuing a good LL.M. course? Have you considered Intellectual Property Law course? Here, you will find everything you need to know about LL.M. IP Law course.

  In this post, we will have an in-depth analysis of LL.M. Intellectual Property Law course. This article covers important details about the course such as – duration, eligibility criteria, colleges, admission process, syllabus, career prospects and scope.   This academic program is also known by other names such as LL.M. Intellectual Property Rights and LL.M. Intellectual Property and Patent Law.   Though the names of these programs are slightly different from each other, they share the same course content.   LL.M. stands for Master of Law. It is a Master’s level law education course. Students who have completed LL.B. are eligible to pursue LL.M. programs.   LL.M. IP Law is an honors program. This academic program deals with the domain – Intellectual Property Law and its allied areas such as patent law.   Here is an overview of the academic program –

• Name of the course: LL.M. Intellectual Property Law
• Type of course: Master’s Degree
• Field: Law
• Duration: 1 year
• Eligibility: Completed LL.B. or Integrated LL.B. from a recognized University/College

What is IP law all about? What is the scope and potential associated with this domain? What it it like to specialize in this domain? You will find answers to these questions in the next section.   Here it is –

Intellectual Property Law: An Introduction

Intellectual Property Rights is a vast domain. Looking from the point of view of law, it consists of aspects such as – IP management, IP rights, IP laws, IP protection etc.   In simple terms, Intellectual Property refers to the creations of mind. For example – creations, artistic work, literary work, designs, symbols, names and images.   Unlike ‘tangible’ and traditional property such as land, house, ornaments etc, IP is intangible! It can’t be sized up and felt physically!   An Intellectual Property is protected in law by patents, copyrights and trademarks. These are different types of intellectual property! If you are a writer, you may have copyright rights over your literary work. This will help establish your rights and ownership over your literary works.   Copyright is usually associated with artistic and literary work. Patents are usually associated with scientific inventions. Trademark is usually associated with marks, symbols and logos.

Course Details

Type of course

It is Master’s Degree course.

Eligibility Criteria

Completed LL.B. or Integrated LL.B. course from a recognized University/College.

Duration

The academic program is 1 year long.

Colleges

Many Government and Self Financed Colleges are known to offer this course in India. Government Colleges can further be classified into two types – State and Central Government Colleges.   Government Colleges are known to charge relatively lower fees than their Self Financed counterparts. They provide subsidized education to students.   Some of the popular Colleges offering this academic program are –

• NLSIU
• Kerala Law Academy Law College
• NUJS
• DU
• NLS

Fees

Tuition fees charged for the academic program may vary from one institute to another. It depends upon the following factors –

• Type of College (Govt or SF)
• Scholarship status of the student
• Rating of the College
• Learning Mode (chosen by the candidate)

On an average, the tuition fees could be anywhere between 60-120K INR per year. Government Colleges are known to charge relatively lower fees.

Admission Process

Reputed institutes rely on merit based admission process. Such institutes make use of relevant entrance test to select deserving candidates. Some institutes are also known to conduct their own qualifying test in order to select deserving candidates. You may also check – Law exams in India.   Some other institutes are also known to conduct direct as well as donation based admission process.

Syllabus

Here are some of the important subjects present in LL.M. IP Law curriculum –

• International IP Law
• Copyright
• Trademarks
• Unfair Competition
• IP Protection
• Competition Law
• Technology Regulatory Law
• Dispute Resolution
• Patent Procedure
• Patent Practice

Career Prospects

Here are some of the prime recruiters –

• Law firms
• Law consultancies
• Brand Management firms
• Media Houses
• Publishing firms

Salary

Starting salary depends upon numerous factors. Some such notable factors are –

• Profile of the employer
• Job location
• Employee’s skills and aptitude
• Employee’s academic performance

On an average, the starting salary could be anywhere between 40-60K INR per month. Government employees’ salary depends upon pay scale and grade.