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Leslie Prill, JD/MS’11

Exploring the law behind innovation and creativity

“I worked with a team of scientists, finance experts, and marketers to develop a strategy for introducing a new molecule to the market.”
—Leslie Prill, JD/MS’11

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Indiana Law’s newest center deals with the legal mechanisms that are designed to promote innovation and creativity in virtually every sector of the economy. “Intellectual property law is no longer a niche area,” said Mark D. Janis, JD’89, Robert A. Lucas Chair of Law and director of the Center for Intellectual Property Research. “Go to any small town anywhere in Indiana, and you might find a local business owner dealing with a trademark issue, or an artist or a non-profit group needing advice about copyrights, or a technology start-up building its patent portfolio in order to secure venture funding to support further research. We need lawyers who are trained to deal with those issues, whether they practice in Indiana or take their expertise elsewhere.”

The Center for Intellectual Property Research was established to coordinate the law school’s intellectual property law curriculum, research, and outreach. Guided by the Center’s curriculum development, students can choose from nearly two dozen courses ranging from the basics of patent, trademark, and copyright law to colloquia and seminars on cutting-edge topics. Students can also earn joint degrees with Indiana University’s diverse offerings in biotechnology and other sciences.

Leslie Prill graduated in 2011 with a JD and a MS in biotechnology, and took MBA coursework offered through the Kelley School of Business’ Center for the Business of Life Sciences. “I worked with a team of scientists, finance experts, and marketers to develop a strategy for introducing a new molecule to the market,” she said. “It was great, because I got to see first-hand the value of intellectual property law in a business setting.”

In November 2010, the Center introduced a unique new channel for sharing its research. Titled IP Theory, and available at www.iptheory.org, the online journal combines the academic rigor of a law review with the immediacy of a legal blog. “IP Theory is designed for the way scholars and practitioners prefer to receive information in today’s electronic age,” Janis explained. “The articles are peer-reviewed and are more ambitious than typical blog entries. However, the editing is streamlined, which leads to a faster publication schedule.”

Click here to watch a video about the IP curriculum.