Almost any product or service in the marketplace is the result of a long chain of innovations. Either as a business asset or an investment, intellectual property plays a crucial role in business. In general, the process of the product innovation starts with a secret that can be protected under trade secret protection, and most enterprises will have their own valuable confidential business information. Eventually, various technical parts of a product might need obtain patent protection; its design may be protected by industrial design rights. The brand name of the product concerned can be protected by a trademark. Of course, these various intellectual property rights, such as patent, trademark, or business secrets, will be brought into life through production, transfer or licensing, or M&A in various market activities. To be able to critically identify, evaluate, and analyse intellectual property issues in business, and eventually apply legal principles in IP related problem-solving, is crucial for business success.
 
This course aims at providing a discovery-enriched curriculum for students to discover and explore the principles and framework of intellectual property in the contemporary business environment, from the incubation and development of innovation, to validation, acquisition and licensing or M&A of various intellectual property rights, to effective protection of intellectual property rights through dispute resolution. Through discovery-enriched group projects on certain contemporary business IP issues, interactive lectures by selected IP-related industry leaders or elite professionals, and practise oriented IP field trips, students will be put in a discovery-enriched environment to explore the structure and effects of a particular legal and regulatory environment concerning business IP. Subjects cover the development, commercialization, management, realization, and protection of various IP rights. Successful completion of the course will enhance students’ capabilities in critical thinking and analysis in relation to business IP and build up students’ practical skills in problem-solving IP issues in a business context.

Continuous Assessment: 100%