Seattle

Seattle is considered an incredibly livable city and offers a wide range of leisure activities. The beautiful mountain landscapes and national parks that surround Seattle invite you to go on excursions. For a long weekend, it is also worth taking a trip to nearby Portland or beautiful Canada.

Since Seattle is one of the leading technology centers in the U.S., the University of Washington environment is ideal for an intensive immersion in intellectual property law. The Center for Advanced Study and Research on Intellectual Property (CASRIP), which is part of the law school, offers a wide range of courses on intellectual property law, supplemented by practitioners´ lectures from business and industry. Against this backdrop, intellectual property law and its impact on technological innovation is the focus of the University of Washington's LL.M. program, which our students attend each winter semester. This is also the focus of the seminars on patent, copyright and trademark law. The topics are not limited to US law, but are internationally oriented. The internationality is also reflected among the students. Our participants meet fellow students from the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Brazil, Spain and many other countries.

Semester schedule

Our students study at the University of Washington from late September to mid-March. The semester is divided into 2 terms. In the first term, which runs from mid-September to mid-December, basic courses in intellectual property law (Copyright Law, Trademark and Trade Secret Law, and Patent Law) are offered. In the second term, which runs from January to mid-March, students can attend the seminars that reinforce these lectures.

Courses

Since you do not pay the tuition fees customary at American universities, you will be listed as a "visiting student" at the University of Washington. You follow a so-called supervised "internship plan", the goal of which is to write a seminar paper. The topic of this so-called "research paper" can be chosen in consultation with the responsible teacher. Lectures on U.S. intellectual property law can also be attended. Students are expected to attend a seminar in patent or trademark law offered by Prof. Toshiko Takenaka.

Due to the status as a "visiting student", the lectures can only be attended in consultation with the respective teaching professors. However, the professors are usually very open and welcome international students. However, you will not receive grades from the individual professors.

The timetable can be found here: https://www.law.washington.edu/coursecatalog/schedules/default.aspx.

Exams

Only the "research paper" is evaluated, so that students do neither write exams nor is their lecture participation graded. However, in order to be able to follow the course of the lecture, the (sometimes very extensive and time-consuming) reading assignments should be completed. This can lead to less time for the research paper. However, with good time management it is possible.

Further notes/ formalities/ requirements

• Since the USA has very strict requirements for entry/study, the following (additional) documents must be submitted to the University of Washington after admission to the program by the TU-Dresden. In addition to proof of language skills, a CV/resume (in English) and a copy of your passport (which must be valid for at least 6 months after the end of your stay in Seattle), you must submit the VISIT J Visa Request Form (this is the application form for the program), Training/Internship Placement Plan (which will be sent to you directly from Seattle after we have admitted you) and a so-called Funding Letter (The University of Washington requires proof that funding for the entire stay is guaranteed. (This requires proof that you will be able to pay for rent, health insurance, living expenses, etc.). The costs will be calculated by the university. The proof is a prerequisite for the issuance of the DS-2019 form, which is required for the visa).

Tuition fees

Language Requirements

Useful links:

UW School of Law - Intellectual Property Law and Policy Graduate Program