Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Law Clinic
The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic assists eligible Connecticut innovator-entrepreneurs with intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright and trademark issues. Students working under the supervision of experienced intellectual property attorneys interview and counsel clients, conduct trademark and patent searches, register trademarks and copyrights, and prosecute patent applications.
Services for the Public
Since the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic opened its doors in January 2007, it has assisted more than 300 clients from throughout Connecticut. To be eligible for the clinic's services, applicants must be Connecticut residents or owners of a business in Connecticut seeking assistance with the procurement or protection of intellectual property in the United States, for example a patent, trademark or copyright.
More Information for the Public
Clients of the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at UConn Law are drawn from Connecticut's innovator-entrepreneurs who demonstrate financial need, have basic intellectual property law needs and are committed to the development and use of their intellectual property in generating economic growth in Connecticut.
Client services currently available include, but are not limited to, patentability searches, preparation of provisional/non-provisional patent applications, trademark clearances and registration applications, copyright matters, and the drafting of related intellectual property agreements. Because the clinic is an instructional program, prospective clients should understand that the progression of work in the clinic is at a slower pace than if a non-clinic attorney were retained.
Although Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic services are free, clients are responsible for all U.S. Patent & Trademark Office fees and other costs that may be necessary for the clinic to provide assistance, including, for example, the fees for filing a patent, trademark or copyright application, and expenses related to copying, postage and the like.
To be eligible to receive an application for the IP Law Clinic's program, you must: (1) have a presence in Connecticut, i.e. be a resident of Connecticut or have a business located in Connecticut; and (2) be seeking assistance with regard to the procurement or protection of intellectual property in the United States, e.g. a patent, trademark, or copyright. Other criteria considered by the IP Law Clinic include, but are not limited to, demonstrated financial need for services, the educational opportunity for the students, the clinic’s own resource constraints and limits on operating capacity, the likelihood that the clinic’s services will contribute to developing jobs or generating revenue for Connecticut, conflicts of interest, and the fit with the clinic’s current activities and technology requirements. Please note that submission of an application does not create an attorney-client relationship with the clinic or any of its attorneys.
The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic does not handle international or foreign intellectual property matters and does not work on matters relating to any intellectual property proceedings before a tribunal, including but not limited to, appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Inter Partes Review proceedings, trademark oppositions or cancellation proceedings.
Contact: To learn more, you may contact the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at iplawclinic@uconn.edu or (860) 570-5025. Please be advised that by contacting the IP Law Clinic, there should be no expectation that the clinic will necessarily form a relationship with you or accept you into the clinic program.
The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic helps clients with services such as patent applications, trademark registration applications, and copyright issues. Bent Cordy asked the clinic's assistance get his skateboard company's trademark registered.
Student Experience
The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at UConn School of Law provides students with the unique opportunity to counsel Connecticut's innovators, entrepreneurs and startups on a wide range of intellectual property law issues. Law students are granted limited recognition to practice law, under attorney supervision, before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.