Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC)

In 2003, the Max Planck Society, the University of Augsburg, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA, together created the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) as a center for research and education in intellectual property and competition law. Since then, more than 400 MIPLC graduates have embarked on rewarding careers in IP.

The MIPLC offers the Master of Laws (LL.M.) program "Intellectual Property and Competition Law" which is

• Suitable for law graduates and students with other backgrounds alike
• Taught entirely in English
• Multi-jurisdictional: Every subject is taught from the European and from the US perspective
• Diverse with a wide variety of modules to choose from
• Interdisciplinary, discussing all aspects of IP from the legal and relevant economic perspectives
• Hands-on, with the practical aspects of IP covered in simulations, case-studies, and an optional internship
• Supplemented with study visits to the European Patent Office and other IP organizations and guest lectures and talks throughout the year

• Located in Europe's IP Capital Munich

IP and competition law research is a central focus of the MIPLC. In close cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, research projects in all areas of intellectual property and competition law, e.g. in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, are carried out. In the second half of the academic year, each student writes a master's thesis under the supervision of a renowned expert for the topic the student has chosen. The best master's theses are then published as books or on SSRN.

Moreover, every year the MIPLC grants scholarships to a number of LL.M. graduates who embark on Ph.D. projects.

In the MIPLC Internship Program, counselors actively work with MIPLC students to identify suitable internships which take place at the end of the academic year.

MIPLC graduates have obtained outstanding positions in the IP world. They have gone on to work for IP institutions such as national Patent and Trademark Offices, the World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO, the European Union Intellectual Property Office EUIPO, and the European Patent Office EPO; for national and international (patent) law firms; for government; for NGOs and think tanks; or for the IP departments of large corporations in the private sector. Others have obtained Ph.D. degrees from top-rated universities to pursue academic careers.