GW Law’s Munich IP & Technology Law Program returned for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic this May. This innovative program provided 30 GW Law students (and one student from Emory University Law School) with an immersive cultural experience plus an intensive education in international IP, privacy, and technology law—all in a city known as the IP capital of Europe.
Throughout the three-week program, students took courses on a range of topics, including AI and copyright law; comparative internet law; information privacy law; and European patent law. Students learned from renowned experts at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, an academic center established by GW Law, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (MPI), the University of Augsburg, and the Technical University of Munich.
“Participating in the GW Munich program was one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at GW Law,” said Maggie Wu, one of the students who participated in the program. “It offered a unique chance to learn about IP and privacy law from a European perspective while seeing firsthand how different legal systems approach issues like AI, data protection, and cross-border enforcement. Beyond the classroom, it offered the chance to engage with faculty and classmates while experiencing the legal community and culture in Munich, which brought the material to life. It’s the kind of experience that sticks with you.”
Students also attended two study visits to IP and Technology Law Institutions in Munich, including BMW and Fieldfisher Germany, where they were able to learn from experts in IP and privacy law. At the BMW Headquarters, students learned how a leading company obtains and enforces its trademarks, design patents, and defends copyrights from an in-house counsel’s perspective. And at Fieldfisher, students spoke with lawyers about what it takes to become a lawyer in the EU, how privacy and technology law in the EU differs from the US, and how litigation and dispute resolution works in the EU.
The program is timed to allow students time to both study abroad and to hold a traditional internship or clerkship, all in the same summer. And in addition to GW Law students, the Munich program is open to students from other ABA-approved law schools, legal practitioners, and non-lawyers interested in the fields of IP and technology law. This year's attendee Luke Brownlow from Emory University joined the GW Law students in the program.
“The Munich program provided an excellent opportunity to engage with law students and professors from other US and international law schools that share a passion for intellectual property,” Brownlow said. “Current European intellectual property legal challenges were thoroughly explored, including the newly formed Unified Patent Court. My European patent law knowledge learned from the Munich program was put to use during the first few weeks of my summer associate position as I worked on a client's patent infringement questions regarding their European product distribution network.”
When students weren’t in classes, they had the opportunity to experience Munich’s culture, visiting German beer halls, touring the old city, trying on lederhosen, exploring the Alps, and driving on the autobahn.
“For me personally, this program was a huge draw for attending GW as I was coming into law school with previous IP experience and was intrigued by an IP-specific study abroad program,” said Remy Cooper, a GW Law student who attended the program. “IP and Privacy law are inherently global fields, so it was an invaluable experience to be able to take classes covering European and international IP practice. The professors are highly successful in their respective fields and were excited to share their knowledge and expertise with the GW cohort.”
The GW Munich IP & Technology Law Program is in partnership with the GW Center for Law & Technology: The Bernard Center, GW Law’s leading academic hub of education, events, scholarship, and dialogue about intellectual property, privacy, data security, and technology law.