Abstract

The problem of heightening awareness of patent and other intellectual property amongst graduates leaving university has long taxed the ingenuity of the author and others. This paper describes a newly developed approach to the problem. The object is to instil a good basic understanding of the subject across a broad spectrum of graduates, while fully respecting the constraints of the existing extensive curriculum demands made of both student and tutor. This is achieved by providing a package of discreet, but co-ordinated short work sections (micromodules) on key issues in IP that will be relevant to many practical situations that innovative graduates will meet during their working lives, including particularly their interaction with IP professionals. The package consists of a workbook and CD-ROM, with many interactive examples, which can be delivered in one- or two-hour slots by students' regular tutors, rather than by specialist IP experts. The author concludes with an outline of ways in which it is hoped to further enhance the scope, distribution and format of the materials.