Campus Legal Center Approved to Prosecute Patents

Law school students in the UMD Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center (MIPLRC) will soon be able to file and prosecute patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, resulting in a potentially faster patenting process for researchers.

Previously, students would draft the applications, which would then have to be filed by an outside attorney.

The students will be taking part in the patent office's Law School Clinical Certification Pilot Program starting in the fall semester. Some applications filed through the program receive accelerated attention by the patent office, further expediting the patent process in many cases.

The MIPLRC provides legal services through law students, who practice under the supervision of experienced faculty members. It is a collaborative project between the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore.

Published July 17, 2012