International Business Transactions is a general course covering the fundamental issues that affect business in today?s global marketplace. Topics covered include legal issues associated with financing commercial transactions, transnational contracts, and foreign direct investment in countries abroad. The course will emphasize the role of international trade institutions, GATT treaties, and federal trade law.

The focus of this course will be on understanding the nature and impact of trade secrets law in the US on domestic and global business practices. The course will examine: (a) the theory behind trade secret protection; (b) comparisons with approaches to the protection of valuable commercial information in other jurisdictions; (c) the definition of a ?trade secret? in the US; (d) elements of the misappropriation of trade secrets tort at the state level; (e) the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 and the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 at the federal level; (f) scope of civil and criminal liability for trade secret misappropriation; (g) duties of confidentiality in relation to trade secrecy; (h) loss of status of a trade secret; (i) trade secrets as a(n) (intellectual) property right; (j) defenses to trade secret actions; (k) remedies for misappropriation of a trade secret. Eligibility: Open to 1Ls. Prerequisites: None. Grading 90% final exam, 10% class participation.

This course will introduce students to the principles of searching trademarks records at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, underscoring the connection between trademark prosecution practice and trademark law theory. The course will provide students with strategies for navigating Trademark Office records from a former Trademark Examining Attorney and with an understanding of how the U.S. trademark registration process functions under the Lanham Act. Students with an interest in trademark prosecution, litigation and transactional practice will benefit from this course.

This course addresses legal issues related to patent licensing based upon general commercial needs and requirements. This course will focus on understanding the intersection of patent rights and limitations, contractual provisions and the objectives of the business. The course will look at key licensing agreement interpretation issues and restriction on patent rights that should be considered when licensing patent rights. Students will look to understand different business scenarios and how to think about structuring licensing relationships and agreements to fulfill the business objectives.