USD Magazine Summer 2010

AROUND  THE PARK

Qualcomm patent agent and USD School of Law student Espartaco Diaz Hildalgo stands in front of an entire wall of the firm’s patents. Patents like these are at the heart of intellectual property law.

BANKING ON CREATIVITY New Law School center takes on intellectual property rights [ h y b r i d ]

by Trisha J. Ratledge O

trying to create a niche in which we focus on how people actually take concepts and use different legal regimes to turn them into businesses.” Launched in 2009, the new center is taking a three-pronged approach to intellectual law edu- cation and outreach. The first is an expanded curriculum that includes bringing practitioners from busi- nesses such as Qualcomm and Warner Home Video directly to the students to talk about how IP law

and economics interact in busi- ness and industry. “Most students don’t real- ize that money in businesses doesn’t come from exercising rights in the usual way of fil- ing a lawsuit,” McGowan says. “That’s the last stand. Most revenue streams triangulate off the threat of litigation ... that’s 90 percent of it. You have these rights, but what are your clients doing with them? It’s almost a hybrid business school/law

school model.” Students, especially those who can apply what they’ve learned the next day on the job, appreci- ate that real-world approach. “I’m very fortunate to have gotten the IP education I have at USD,” says Espartaco Diaz Hidalgo, a patent agent at Qualcomm who’s in his last semester at the law school. “I feel like my rate of development is accelerated com- pared to someone who doesn’t have the combination of both

nce a classic manufac- turing system — steel, rubber and cars — the

United States economy has undergone a sea change over the last half-century, morphing into an ever-evolving, enterpris- ing marketplace of ideas. Need examples? That prescription in your medicine cabinet is thanks to a new compound developed by a team of scientists. The new song on your iPod offers up an artist’s unique take on heartbreak. Your smart phone embodies a multitude of pat- ented ideas, expertly packaged into one cool device. In this knowledge-based economy, ideas are bankable and innovation is to be protect- ed. That’s good for the bottom line, so it’s no wonder that intel- lectual property law — which protects patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets — is a rapidly growing field. The School of Law’s new Center for Intellectual Property Law & Markets trains law students to help their clients use intellectual property rights to compete eco- nomically in today’s markets. “The point of the center is to focus on how people turn ideas into money,” says David McGowan, the center’s director and Lyle L. Jones Professor of Competition and Innovation Law. “There are a lot of centers around the country that are focused on the policy-oriented approach to intellectual property law. We’re

FRED GREAVES

8 USD MAGAZINE