Biotechnology students are being trained in the legal aspects of intellectual property

Since late August 2011, the fourth-semester students in the Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology have been the first cohort to take the course “Intellectual and Industrial Property,” taught by attorneys Dr. Agustín Mayer and Dr. Alejandro Alterwain of the Ferrere law firm, both specialists in the field of intellectual property, and professor Carlos Vera, who explains many of the technical and scientific aspects of the legislation.

Mayer recalled that when he began teaching at the School of Management and Social Sciences, he sought to take a very practical approach to legal issues for students in non-law majors. In the Biotechnology program as well, both he and his colleague Alterwain focus on giving students the tools they need for their future careers.

The legal experts explained that their goal is to teach students that the assets they create must be protected by law. “Much of what they will do in the future involves generating knowledge, for example through a patentable invention or a paper they wish to publish,” said Mayer. Intellectual property can be protected in various ways because “producing knowledge is a valuable asset and often becomes the primary asset,” he added. Specifically, the course examines these intangible knowledge assets: “What are they? How are they protected? What can I use from existing sources? What is a patent, and what are the conditions for my new invention to be patentable?” the instructors explained.

Both experts highlighted certain specific aspects of teaching the class, given that the students do not come from a background in law or the social sciences. For example, during one of the classes, Alterwain asked, “Is it possible to do such a thing?” to which a student replied, “Yes, it is.” The lawyer explained to the group that “in legal matters, ‘it can be done’ means something else”; “the question is not whether the activity can physically be done,” but rather whether carrying out a certain action constitutes a crime. The students themselves, he noted, are very interested in understanding the legal basis of the case studies they see in class (for example, court rulings).

"A major problem in the scientific community is that, for the most part, researchers are not primarily concerned with how to protect their work, but rather with conducting research and development," Mayer noted.

"In the first two classes, the instructors introduced the issue of intellectual property from an economic perspective so that students could 'understand the logic behind the intellectual property system,'" Alterwain said. The instructors' goal is to have covered the fundamentals of all areas of intellectual property by the end of the course.

Interview published in September 2011