MIPLC - Munich Intellectual Property Law Center

The Law School

The Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) was founded in 2003 by the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law, the University of Augsburg, the Technische Universität München, and the George Washington University Law School, Washington D.C., to offer education and research. Supported by a small but dedicated administrative team, we offer a focused LL.M. degree program on “Intellectual Property and Competition Law” for students from all over the world.

The Program

The MIPLC’s LL.M. degree program “Intellectual Property and Competition Law” is characterized by its strong international and interdisciplinary focus. It combines one year of full-time, rigorous, and intensive study with practical experience and relevant extracurricular activities to equip graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with intellectual property issues in a global context at the most sophisticated level. The program is administered jointly by the four partners but located in Munich. Upon successful completion, the University of Augsburg awards the Master’s Degree of Laws in Intellectual Property (LL.M.).

The language of instruction is English. All classes are taught by international professors from renowned institutions who are leaders in their field. They cover all areas of European and International Intellectual Property, Competition, and Media Law, as well as essential related fields such as economics and business administration. The program is structured to cover both common law and civil law traditions, thus giving graduates a comprehensive understanding of both legal systems and enabling them to operate successfully in any work context.

Our teaching methods heavily emphasize problem-oriented learning and case studies. In addition, training in litigation and negotiation skills forms an integral part of our classes. Students have numerous opportunities to practice their newly acquired skills in simulated court cases, workshops, internships and exams.

The MIPLC wants all students to be able to make the most of their time with us. We therefore take pride in providing excellent study conditions.

Located across the street from the Max Planck Institute and in downtown Munich, the MIPLC occupies a private floor in an office building. All students are provided with individual desks in spacious shared offices, high-speed internet connections, and desktop access to a number of legal databases. A limited number of desktop computers are available for those students unable to bring their own laptop computer.

The MIPLC offers a wide variety of specialized courses, which allow students to focus their studies as desired. Moreover, students may choose their Master’s Thesis topic according to correspond to their personal interests and career goals.

Class size is small, especially in specialized courses, giving students ample opportunity to ask questions and discuss matters in detail with professors and fellow students. Moreover, each student is assigned a personal tutor who will provide additional assistance in individual sessions. The tutors, generally MIPLC graduates themselves, are highly qualified attorneys or researchers at the Max Planck Institute.

Thanks to continuous exposure to our international faculty and their fellow students, our graduates have had a year’s opportunity to improve their intercultural and interdisciplinary communication skills, and to form networks.

The library facilities available to MIPLC students deserve special mention.

The Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law has a comprehensive, specialized library of around 150,000 volumes which is the largest of its kind in the world and to which MIPLC students have full access. As a specialized collection on national and international Intellectual Property Law, the Institute’s library is unique, providing outstanding resources for our students.

In addition, the MIPLC has its own library, which is stocked with a large selection of textbooks on all areas and topics taught during the one-year program. The MIPLC library is located in the same building as the MIPLC offices and is accessible exclusively to MIPLC students.

The Faculty

Our faculty consists of roughly 70 distinguished professors and lecturers. They are full-time academics, judges, practising attorneys, and corporate professionals with first-hand operational IP experience.

Entry Requirements

In order to be considered for admission, applicants must have
1. A Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent) in law, economics, business administration, natural sciences, engineering, IT, literature, or media sciences.

2. At least one year of relevant professional experience.
* "Relevant" means that the practical experience should either be related to intellectual property itself, or to the subject of the qualifying degree – for example, experience as an engineer if the qualifying degree is in engineering, etc. "Professional experience" may include internships, work as a research assistant, and the German "Referendariat".

Please note: If your only degree is a three-year Bachelor's degree, you will need at least two years of relevant professional experience!

3. Sufficient knowledge of the English language, demonstrated by one of the following test results within the last three years (waived for native speakers of English and applicants with a degree from an institution at which English is the language of instruction):
* a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score in the 100 point-range (internet-based), in the 250 point-range (computer-based), or in the 600 point-range (paper-based);
* an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 7.0 or above (academic version);
* a minimum grade of "C" on the Cambridge CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) (scores from other Cambridge tests, such as the Key English Test and the Certificate of Advanced English, will not be accepted.)

Application Procedure

To apply for admission, please download the application form and instructions from our website and make sure to carefully read and follow the instructions.

Students are admitted for the fall semester only. The deadline for applications is April 30 of each year for the program beginning that fall, and applications are accepted from mid-November on. For candidates from developing countries who are also applying for the DAAD scholarship, the dealine for applications is March 31.

Upon receipt, your application is reviewed to ensure that it is complete. We will send you an email confirmation of receipt and, if applicable, request you to hand in any missing documents. We will only consider complete applications for admission. You will be notified about the result by both e-mail and mail.

Since the number of places is limited, admission runs on a competitive basis. This means that applicants are selected strictly on criteria focused on academic and personal achievements. Because applications are reviewed in the order in which they are completed, it is in your own interest to submit all documents requested as early as possible.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition: 26,000 EUR
Application fee: 50 EUR
Enrollment fee:173.60 EUR (subject to change)

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is available in the form of a limited number of partial or full tuition waivers. These scholarships are granted to students demonstrating both need and merit.

Students from developing countries may apply for a scholarship offered by the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD in the framework of its program "Postgraduate Courses with Special Relevance to Developing Countries". This scholarship covers living expenses and also includes a German language course.

The MIPLC will, upon request, provide a list of additional organizations providing scholarships and grants for which prospective students may apply.

Location

Munich is known as Europe's "Intellectual Property Capital" because it is home to the European Patent Office, the German Patent and Trademark Office, and the German Federal Patent Court. In addition, the city boasts a large number of intellectual property law firms, as well as numerous companies in industries heavily dependent upon intellectual property, such as Siemens, BMW, and many media and biotech enterprises.

Accommodation

The MIPLC can offer a limited number of accommodations, but most students will have to find their own place to stay in the private housing market.

Student Life

With a population of over 1.2 million, Munich is the third-largest city in Germany and an important cultural and economic center. It has been ranked by Germans as the most livable city in Germany, and with a population of over 80,000 university students, it has plenty of attractions for students. There is a very lively pub scene in the vicinity of the Universities, along with many clubs, movie theaters, and other recreational activities spread all over the city. MIPLC students also have a reputation for organizing excellent parties.

For the culturally minded, the Bavarian State Opera and a number of theatres and concert halls are in the immediate neighborhood of the MIPLC, and many museums are nearby. For the great outdoors, head to one of the many lakes in and around Munich, or to the Alps for hiking or skiing. A variety of exciting spots can be reached by train in just over an hour.

Summer Program

The George Washington University Law School, one of the four partners in the MIPLC, operates a four-week intellectual property summer program on the MIPLC premises.

The summer program ran generally offers eight courses, six of which are open to MIPLC LL.M. students as well. The program also features study visits to institutions such as the European Patent Office and the German Patent and Trademark Office.

Applicants may come from any part of the world, but must have some legal education and must demonstrate proficiency in English. Details about the program and its entrance requirements are available at http://www.law.gwu.edu/munichsummer/.