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Law and Technology

Berkeley Law developed the nation's leading program in law and technology for students interested in concentrating their studies in this area.

To receive the certificate upon graduation, students need to fulfill both curricular and extracurricular requirements. The curricular requirements emphasize depth and breadth of coverage and afford students substantial flexibility in adapting their course of study toward a range of career paths at the growing intersection of law and technology. In their second year, students may submit an interim application to the program so they may inform prospective employers of their participation in the program.

The Law and Technology Program requires satisfactory completion of six courses and a research paper, as well as participation in law and technology organizations. The program includes:

1. Completion of the core course Introduction to Intellectual Property.

2. Completion of at least two courses from the following list of core courses:

  •  Copyright
  • Information Privacy Law
  •  Cyberlaw
  •  Patent Law

3. Completion of at least three courses that do not duplicate the two courses used to fulfill the above requirement. Here is a sampling of the law and technology course offerings:

  •  Administrative Law
  •  Antitrust Law or Antitrust and Intellectual Property
  •  Art Law
  •  Biotechnology and Chemical Patent Law
  •  Biotechnology Patent Law Seminar
  •  Computer Law
  •  Copyright
  •  Cyberlaw
  •  Food and Drug Law
  •  Historical Perspectives on IP
  •  Information Privacy Law
  •  International Intellectual Property
  •  IP in the Entertainment Industries
  •  IP Scholarship Seminar
  •  Intellectual Property Strategy
  •  Intellectual Property Transactions
  •  Law and Technology Writing Seminar
  •  Law of Electronic Commerce
  •  Law, Science, and Biotechnology
  •  Open Source Development and Licensing
  •  Patent Law
  •  Patent Litigation
  •  Patent Prosecution
  •  Playing by the Rules: Video Game Law
  •  Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic
  •  Software Law
  •  Stem Cell Seminar
  •  Tax Issues Facing Technology Venture Start-Up
  •  Telecommunications
  •  Trademark Law
  •  Trade Secrets
  •  Wine Law

Some courses offered by other Berkeley graduate schools, such as the Haas School of Business or the School of Information Management and Systems (SIMS), may be allowed as a substitute for one of the above certificate-qualifying courses. Examples of classes outside the law school that might qualify include:

  •  INFO 237 Intellectual Property Law for the Information Industries (SIMS)
  •  MBA290B-1 Biotechnology Industry Perspectives and Business Development (Haas)
  •  MBA290G-1 International Trade and Competition in High Technology (Haas)
  •  MBA290T-1 The Future of Information Technology (Haas)
  •  MBA290T-3 Innovation in Services and Business Models (Haas)
  •  MBA294-1 Life as an Entrepreneur (Haas)
  •  MBA294-5 Topics in Technology Speaker Series (Haas)
  •  MBA294-11 Bio-Business Speaker Series (Haas)
  •  MBA295E-1 Case Studies in Entrepreneurship (Haas)
  •  MBA295G-1 Investing in Entrepreneurial Opportunities: Building an Investment Screen, Methodology, and Process (Haas)
  •  MBA295I-1 Entrepreneurship Workshop for Start-Ups (Haas)
  •  MBA295I-2 Entrepreneurship Workshop for Start-Ups (Haas)
  • MBA277-3 Media and Entertainment: Economics, Strategy, and Policy (Haas)
  •  MBA290A-1 Introduction to Management of Technology (Haas)
  •  MBA290I-1 Managing Innovation and Change (Haas)
  •  MBA295A-1/2 Entrepreneurship (Haas)
  •  MBA295C-1 Opportunity Recognition: Technology and Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley
  •  MBS295J-1 Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology (Haas)

4. A writing component, fulfilled by completing a paper of publishable quality on law and technology subject matter through the Law and Technology Writing Seminar; undertaking a supervised writing project in a law and technology seminar class; or completing a supervised independent study writing course.

5. An activity component, fulfilled by substantial participation (after completing the first year) in at least one approved activity for two semesters, or two approved activities for one semester. This requirement is designed to encourage students to develop collaborative working skills and to complement the substantive knowledge derived from course-related work. The faculty administering the program will periodically review the list of approved activities. Participating in the following activities satisfies the activity component:

Students may request to have another law and technology-related activity approved, such as a moot court competition relating to intellectual property.