What is Graduate School of Intellectual Property?

The Difference Between the Graduate School of Intellectual Property and a Conventional Graduate School

The major differences lie in the following;

1. A graduate school of IP is one of the professional schools and therefore has an educational goal of developing experts to work with skills in the IP area in a society not producing a scholar or a pure researcher in an ordinary sense.
2. A conventional graduate school is normally formed within the faculty as its post graduate level, so the education is linked with the undergraduate and its post graduate levels. A graduate school of IP, however, is formed independent of any of the undergraduate faculties but accept a variety of students from any areas of the undergraduate education.

The professional school like a graduate school of IP is categorized as the "Graduate School" under the national regulation (the School Educational Ordinance,Art.65,Sec.2.) The professional school in Japan includes a graduate school of IP, a law school, an accounting school and others.

Developing Human Resources at a Graduate School of Intellectual Property

To revitalize our industry it is necessary to have professional human resources who utilize effectively the "intellectual creation cycle (cyclic activities from generating inventions, legal protection as IP rights to effective use of the rights)." Having not only the knowledge of the cycle, but actual useful skills are necessary as well. In Japan we have about 80,000 experts handling IP, but this number is not sufficient and it is required on a national scale that such IP experts be increased in a timely manner.

Responding to this national goal our university has started its Faculty of IP in 2003 and the Graduate School of IP in 2005 so as to create IP experts such as staff members and Benrishi (Japan's patent attorney) working for companies, patent offices, universities or the like.

After the Graduation

In patent offices and law firms Benrishi, attorneys and their staff members with IP knowledge are necessary. Also in many universities and research laboratories similarly IP handling personnel are currently needed. Our students graduated from the Graduate School of IP will find their jobs in such vast areas.

Policies on Education

Our School has clear purpose to provide and conduct research in a manner that “academic theory and its application to cultivate profound wisdom as well as prominent ability” is offered so as to facilitate to take the occupation requiring high specialty. Our School will bring up the specialized experts having the knowledge and skills to contribute protection and utilization of intellectual property in response to the needs of the era and society. These experts include;

1. an expert who can play an active part in a society as a professional having high special ability about intellectual property
2. an expert who can contribute to protection and utilization of intellectual property having high special qualifications such as Benrishi and the like
3. an expert who belongs to the intellectual property department in a company and can contribute systematically to management and strategic utilization of intellectual property
4. an expert who can contribute to an international transfer, utilization and promotion of intellectual property

Diploma Policy

Our School has a target to bring up highly professional experts having superior awareness as well as deep knowledge and skills to protect and utilize intellectual property so as to practice in a society and play an active part globally responding to the need of the time. Thus our School accepts the new students along its purpose and offer a systematic curriculum and carry out education accordingly. Upon authorization proof of completion of our School to become an expert having high specialized ability, our School confers the degree of "the Intellectual Property Master" (professional course) to the student who has studied for at least two years belonging to our School and obtained a required credits for completion including the credits of the subject requiring the examination and passing of the thesis determined by our School. The degree is conferred by the President after the consultation of the Committee of our School.

Curriculum Policy

The curriculum of our School is systematically organized and carried out to ”bring up highly professional experts having superior awareness as well as deep knowledge and skills to protect and utilize intellectual property.”

Specifically, we set the following areas in a curriculum and carry out education.

1. The area emphasizing mainly theoretical education
2. The area emphasizing mainly practical education
3. The area emphasizing overall education bridging theory and practice
4. The area investigating and researching domestic or overseas issues on intellectual property

The each class subject to place in each area is prepared based on the following standpoints;

1. To cultivate the latest, professional and practical knowledge on industrial property, copy right and economic laws necessary for the practical work of intellectual property.
2. To cultivate abilities of intellectual thinking, analysis and expression based on actual cases and case laws using professional knowledge covering prosecution and strategic use of intellectual property including new areas of intellectual property rights.
3. To cultivate knowledge and ability useful for overseas activities of intellectual property and necessary for global competition.
4. To cultivate high outlook on ethic and international field of vision necessary for a professional expert of the intellectual property

Our School prepares faculty members suitable for the various class subjects with teaching methods as well as offering facilities, class schedule formation flexible to meet the students with various background aiming at professional experts and the learning environment of self-studying by students so as to enhance effective education.