The Intellectual Property Clinic
by Anne DePree ('06)
[depree@usc.edu]

(1) Description of the Clinic:

The Intellectual Property Clinic has a very broad, potential client base (e.g. from starving artists to non-profit organizations to universities). The binding factor in all of our work is that the projects serve the public interest. The purpose of the IP Clinic is to engage students in the dynamics of the field of intellectual property, to allow students to strategize about how to go about best serving their clients' interests, and to assist students in developing client-related skills.

(2) How to Participate in the Clinic:

There are a few ways to participate in the IP Clinic. First, the clinic runs through the summer and accepts applicaitons each spring. In the summer of 2005, there were three participants in the clinic (two current 3Ls and one current 2L). Second, the IP Clinic runs through the school semesters. Currently, the IP Clinic operates on a per-semester basis (whereas other clinics run on a yearly commitment basis), but Professor Urban has spoken about potentially changing the IP Clinic to run on a year-long commitment basis.

(3) What You Do:

The IP Clinic is different from some of the other clinics because each project is usually different from all of the other projects that came before it. This means that the upstart on a project is highly research intensive and generally presents a high learning curve. You also begin dealing with your clients very early on in your involvement. By establishing a relationship with your client you will be able to make decisions about potential strategies for dealing with the project. In this way you will receive training and experience that you may not otherwise experience until you've been practicing for a few years.

This past summer I was able to travel to hearings held by the Copyright Office in both Washington, DC and Berkeley, CA to support my clients' interests at the proceedings. Not only did we strategize ways of making their statements as effective as possible, but we also compiled information summarizing the proceedings for the clients.

Other projects that I have worked on in the Clinic include drafting a generous patent license (to be released to the public sometime this year), filing an amicus curiae brief in the United States v. Martignon with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and strategizing clients' interests and talking points for Orphan Works hearings. All of the clinics require alot of dedication, but the rewards are well-worth the effort and the quality of work and your ability to deal with clients will undoubtedly improve ten-fold.