The course introduces students to the basics of the intellectual property system and of innovation policy. Areas covered include patent, copyright, trademark, design, know-how protection, open source, and technology transfer. The course looks at Swiss, European, U.S. and international law and uses examples from a broad range of technologies. Insights can be used in academia, industry or start-ups.

Life sciences are subject to a complex regulatory framework, challenged by technological disruption, the globalized scale of business operations, personalized medicine, and ethical discussions in society. In these times of rapid changes, legal rules must steer innovation while balancing other societal goals, such as ensuring affordable medicines and addressing unmet medical need.