Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic

Director: Jodi Clifford

The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic provides students with valuable experience in applying substantive intellectual property law to client problems, and offers assistance to local businesses and entrepreneurs with counsel on issues related to intellectual property. Students work under the close supervision of the clinic director, Jodi Clifford, a patent attorney who has substantial private practice experience.

The clinic is a participant in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Law School Clinic Certification Program.

Information for potential clients:

The IP and Entrepreneurship Clinic does not charge a fee for its services, but the client is responsible for paying any required government fees — such as a patent application filing fee to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

While the clinic will assist clients on a variety of intellectual property matters, it is focused on transactional matters and will not handle litigation or contested matters. Exemplary matters include patent searches and provisional patent preparation, trademark searches and registration, and intellectual property agreement and licensing issues.

For assistance from the IP and Entrepreneurship Clinic, please contact the director, Jodi Clifford, at 574-631-1148.

Information for ND Law students:

The clinic provides students with an opportunity to work directly with clients, develop practical skills, and gain experience counseling and advising clients on intellectual property issues. Under the close supervision of full-time faculty, students will take primary responsibility for the cases and clients to which they are assigned.

Students receive five credit hours and are graded on the quality of their work and the amount of responsibility they assume for meeting client needs.

The clinic includes a classroom component focused on substantive intellectual property law and core lawyering skills, such as interviewing and counseling clients. The classroom component is a mixture of lecture, discussion, and simulations. Participation in the classroom component is required for the course.

News from the IP and Entrepreneurship Clinic

ND Law’s IP Clinic helps epilepsy assistance nonprofit secure trademark — January 9, 2020

‘What Would You Fight For?’ features client of IP & Entrepreneurship Clinic — October 21, 2019

IP & Entrepreneurship Clinic helps ND alumni patent medical device — July 25, 2019

IP and Entrepreneurship Clinic secures patent for Notre Dame alum – August 28, 2018

ND Law's IP Clinic featured in The Indiana Lawyer – April 18, 2018

Clinic helps student-led startup, Impowerus, transform an idea into a business – March 12, 2018

Clinic provides launchpad for ND Law graduate's trademark career – February 8, 2018

IP and Entrepreneurship Clinic secures patent for disease detection device – January 15, 2018