Outline and Features

The Graduate School of Intellectual Property (IP Professional Master Course) is a unique professional school started in 2005 at OIT to create industry-required professionals with knowledge and skills of intellectual property. As of now, our Graduate School is the only professional graduate school in Japan that offers the environment to study intellectual property. The faculty members are composed of IP experts and practitioners with profound experiences in industrial sectors and national government. They provide students with relevant professional education in the legal realm as well as IP skills to develop IP professionals. The School accepts a variety of students with various background including working people and other graduates from various undergraduate degrees such as law, engineering, economics, business administration, etc. The unique diploma of Master of IP (Professional Course) will be granted to those students who have completed the course with the required credits and a research thesis.

IP practical education with advanced skills

The rich curriculum covering all the necessary fields for IP professionals includes, as shown in the chart, the four major areas with 60 subjects; the IP Legal Platform Area, the Innovation Area, the IP Business Area and the IP Global Area. Each faculty member is ready to assist students to select the fitting subjects in view of the student’s future goal. We are accepting many overseas students and assisting them with special care.

For international students (Language used, Distance Learning, etc.)

Most of the lectures are provided in Japanese, so that international students can study not only intellectual property issues but also Japanese language as such. Some of the subjects, however, are available in English so that an English-speaking student can get a certain number of credits.
For international students who can stay only a part of the 2-year period in Japan, the distance learning is available for the rest of the period. For such students, lectures are provided via Internet. International students can join the lecture, staying in his/her home country.
Unlike other Japanese school, international students may enroll in our school in September in addition to April that is normal enrolment season in Japan.

Strong support for acquiring a national patent attorney license

Students having graduated from our School with credits for certain subjects may apply for exemption of certain subjects from the first-step examination of the National Patent Attorney(benrishi.) Furthermore, students having written a thesis in a specific legal field may apply for a partial exemption from the second step of the examination. Each year, a number of our students have successfully obtained these exemptions and brought forward the final passing for the patent attorney qualification.

Internship program

The internship program is very important for our students to experience the actual practicing in the IP field. Our internships are available both in Japan and overseas in patent law firms or private companies. The overseas internship program which is useful for our students to enhance their global mind is possible in U.S., Europe and Asia with the fee assisted by OIT.

Global collaborations

Our School provides many opportunities for students to interact with people in the world. For example, we send our selected students to the summer IP institute at the CASRIP (Center for Advanced Study and Research on IP at the University of Washington) with expenses assisted by OIT. Many of our students enjoy collaborations using English with the foreign researchers invited by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) as well as WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) staying with us on a long-term basis, which results in advancing students' international mind.

at CASRIP
at CASRIP
with JICA researchers
with JICA researchers

Courses provided in English

Summer intensive course
Summer intensive course

Our School offers the following 4 Study and 2 Research Courses in which all the lectures are given in English by experienced professors of our graduate school and other universities as well as lawyers and other IP experts from industry, including US attorneys and Japanese patent attorneys.

Course Title Contents Time / Period
Intellectual Property Studies I Basics of Japanese IP laws, Japanese Patent Law, Japanese Design Law, Japanese Trademark Law, Patent Practice, Trademark Practice, Protection of Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition Prevention Law in Japan, Patent Information Search, etc. 12 weeks starting early May (15 classes x 90 minutes)
Intellectual Property Studies II Basics of IP and Business, Business Strategy and IP, Marketing and IP, IP Strategy, IP Association of Industry, IP Activities of Japanese Companies, IP License, Industry-Academia Collaboration, Evaluation of IP, IP Management, etc. 12 weeks starting early May (15 classes x 90 minutes)
Intellectual Property Studies (Summer Intensive) Introduction to US Judicial System, Introduction to US Patent Law, IP Strategy of Japanese Companies, Introduction to Japanese Patent Law, Patent Prosecution Practice, Patent Claim Drafting Practice, International IP License, Presentation Contest by participants, etc. 1-week intensive course in the last week of August (22.5 hours)
Intellectual Property Studies III Technical Standard and IP, Case study on IP strategy of Japanese Companies, IP Supports by Japanese Government Organizations, IP Supports by Japanese Industry Associations, Copy right law, and latest IP system and practice in the World, etc. 12 weeks starting late September (15 classes x 90 minutes)
Intellectual Property Research I Research on International IP law issues relating to patents, trademarks, designs, copy rights, and international business issues relating to IP management, IP strategy, IP licensing. 3 months starting early May
Intellectual Property Research II Research on International IP law issues relating to patents, trademarks, designs, copy rights, and international business issues relating to IP management, IP strategy, IP licensing. 3 months starting late September