Course Introduction

Introductory lecture (Fisher) (12 minutes) (vimeo version) (mp4 version)

Part I: Patent Law

Module 101: An Overview of the Patent System

Module 102: Eligibility

Module 103: Utility and Disclosure

Module 104: Newness

Module 105: Claims

Module 106: Infringement

Module 107: Remedies

Part II: Responding to the Global Health Crisis

Module 201: The Global Health Crisis

Module 202: Improving Pharmaceutical Markets

Module 203: Improving Intellectual Property

Module 204: Alternative Incentive Systems

Module 205: Looking Forward

Final Examination

The final examination in the Fourth Edition of the PatentX course will be administered between December 6 and December 10, 2024.  All students who, in the judgment of their trainers, have actively participated in 10 of the 12 weekly seminars are eligible to take the exam.  The logistics are described below.

  • The exam instructions, including the rules pertaining to academic honesty and the mechanisms for gaining access to the exam and for submitting answers, are available HERE.
  • Timing:  Answers must be submitted by 1300 UTC on Tuesday, December 10. (The amount of time required to answer the exam questions well is far less than four days; the four-day window is designed to afford students flexibility in finding time to take that test.) 
  • Late Submissions:  Examinations submitted after 1300 UTC on December 10 will be accepted only if timely submission was prevented by illness (documented by a medical professional) or serious extenuating circumstances.  Determination of whether a particular examination meets these criteria will be made by the PatentX Advisory Board.
  • Grading:  Each examination will be graded, using a numerical scale, by a WIPO trainer who did not teach the group in which the student was enrolled.  The student’s trainer will then have an opportunity to adjust the grade (upward but not downward) if, in the trainer’s judgment, the quality of the student’s participation in the seminar manifested greater command of the material than indicated by the exam grade.  Examinations near the borderline between Pass and Fail will be reviewed by Professor Fisher, whose evaluation will be final.
  • Certificates:  All students who pass the final examination and who participated in 10 of the 12 weekly seminars of their groups will receive a certificate from WIPO and Harvard Law School.
  • Results:  Students will be notified of their final course grades no later than 1300 UTC on January 15, 2025.  Certificates will be distributed shortly thereafter.
  • Office Hours: Recordings of the optional online office hours held by Professor Fisher during the course are available through the links below:
  • Questions:  Between 1300 UTC and 1400 UTC on December 4, 2024, Professor Fisher will hold the final optional online office hours for the course. During the first 30 minutes, he will answer students’ questions concerning the format of the examination.  A recording of that conversation will be made available HERE.  To avoid unfairness, Prof. Fisher will not answer questions concerning the exam in any other context.
  • Prior examinations:
    • The final examination in the first edition of this course is available HERE.
    • The final examination in the second edition of this course is available HERE.
    • The final examination in the second edition of this course is available HERE.

Graduates

A list of the students in the First Edition of the WIPO/Harvard course who both satisfied the participation requirement and passed the final examination is available HERE.

A list of the students in the Second Edition of the WIPO/Harvard course who both satisfied the participation requirement and passed the final examination is available HERE.

A list of the students in the Third Edition of the WIPO/Harvard course who both satisfied the participation requirement and passed the final examination is available HERE.