Educating and preparing Stevens students for careers in Intellectual Property Law.
The Stevens Institute of Technology Intellectual Property Law Advising Center (SIPLAC) is the Stevens Law Society's central repository for resources and internships available to students interested in exploring or pursuing a career in intellectual property law.
SIPLAC was founded in 2025 by Nicholas Russo.
Intellectual Property law deals with laws to protect and enforce rights of the creators and owners of inventions, writing, music, designs and other works, known as the "intellectual property." There are several areas of intellectual property including copyright, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets.
Patent law grants protection for new inventions which can be products, processes or designs and provides a mechanism for protection of the invention. Patent law promotes the sharing of new developments with others to foster innovation. The patent owner has the right to protect others from producing, using, distributing or importing the protected item. Essentially, the patent is a property right that can be licensed, sold, mortgaged or assigned. Note that many of the resources on SIPLAC emphasize Patent Law.
Copyright law protects the rights of creators in their works in fine arts, publishing, entertainment, and computer software. The laws protect the owner of the work if others copy, present, or display the owners work without permission.
Trademark law protects a word, phrase, symbol or design that is used by an entity to identify its product or service. Examples are Dunkin Donuts orange and pink sausage style lettering, Apple’s apple logo, and Adidas’ three stripes. Trademark owners can prevent others from using their marks, or marks which are confusingly similar so that consumers would not be able to identify the source. Federal and state laws govern trademarks but the Lanham Act is the primary source of trademark protection. These laws protect against infringement and dilution. Rights in trademarks are gained by being the first to use a trademark in commerce or being the first to register the mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Trade secrets are business practices, formulas, designs or processes used in a business, designed specifically to provide a competitive advantage to a business. These trade secrets would not be otherwise known to an “outsider” of the business. An example of this is the formula for Coca Cola. Trade secrets are protected without registration and appropriate steps should be taken by the owner to maintain confidentiality.
Credit is given to Georgetown Law for this overview, whose website has many additional helpful resources and links.
SIPLAC maintains a unique central database of intellectual property internships available to undergraduate and graduate students. It is available here. Note that most internships are for students who are pursuing or have recently completed a degree in a STEM discipline.
Several law firms and other organizations offer free programs where you can learn more about the world of intellectual property law and network with their professionals. SIPLAC maintains a database of these opportunities, available here. Some highlights are presented below.
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP offers the Finnegan IP University, a free program that introduces undergraduate and graduate STEM students to career opportunities in IP law. During the four weeks of online educational programming, participants will learn about various types of IP rights, the basics of drafting patent applications, and how to prosecute those applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Participants will also have an opportunity to meet and network with IP professionals at Finnegan to understand the work of an IP attorney and the various career paths within intellectual property. Applications typically open in December and are accepted until January. The program typically runs throughout February.
Fish & Richardson, P.C. offers the School of Fish, a free program that introduces undergraduate and graduate students from historically underrepresented communities to careers in intellectual property. It is available to rising juniors, rising seniors, and graduate students who are enrolled in a four-year undergraduate or graduate STEM program. The program features a series of virtual sessions beginning in October and an in-person program in Fish’s Washington, D.C., office in January. During the program, participants will learn about practice areas in IP law, receive one-on-one career advising, socialize with Fish legal staff, and enjoy networking opportunities. School of Fish participants will receive a $1,000 scholarship as well as financial assistance for an LSAT or Patent Office Exam prep course as well as the respective exams. Fish will also cover travel and lodging expenses for program participants. Applications typically open in May and are accepted until July.
The University of Pennsylvania offers the free, self-paced PennX: Intellectual Property Law and Policy course. Part 1 provides an overview of intellectual property law, explores how patent law works, and addresses policy implications of intellectual property. Part 2 offers an overview of copyright and trademark laws, explores their underlying theories, examines how these laws work in practice, and further addresses their policy implications as well as alternatives to copyright and trademark laws.
A wealth of additional free online courses are available to help you further your knowledge and explore new subfields within intellectual property law.
Students interested in pursuing a career in intellectual property should be mindful of whether they may wish to eventually prepare and sit for the patent bar. The United States Patent and Trademark Office provides clear guidelines as to what academic backgrounds render you eligible to sit for the patent bar.
Students who complete a Bachelor's degree or higher in a recognized technical subject, including most engineering and many science degrees, are eligible under Category A.
Students who complete a Bachelor's degree or higher in another subject may still be eligible under Category B. To be eligible under Category B, you must complete or have completed technical coursework as described in the General Requirements Bulletin.
You do not need to take the patent bar in order to work as a patent examiner.
SIPLAC is leading an effort to launch Stevens' first-ever course on intellectual property law. It is a work in progress and will not be offered before the 2026 - 2027 academic year.
Invention Analysis and Claiming: A Patent Lawyer's Guide, by Ronald D. Slusky, is available via an Interlibrary loan through the Samuel C. Williams library.
Students interested in contributing resources to SIPLAC should complete the SIPLAC Contribution Form.
