Copyright Law Question (on the discipline, not law)

For all of you attorney types and generally smart people out there:

I’m applying to law schools in the fall of this year, and I have always considered a career in the fun world of copyright law. As I understand the law school world however, copyright law, being wrapped up in the IP world with patent law and other such disciplines requires a bit of a science/math and technology background, which my poli-sci and history degree ain’t.

What is the scoop on this? Is there anything I can do to enter the fascinating world of copyrights, or should I stick to the comfortable realm of torts, litigation and criminal justice where no one expects you to be able to count?

thanks.

you can get into c’right law without learning anything about patents, trade secrets, or any other IP that requires some technical knowledge. however, lots of IP lawyers practice in all of these fields, so it helps to have the technical background.

BTW, getting work in the c’right field is pretty tough.

You could be a media lawyer and represent a newspaper or magazine or an entertainment lawyer and represent artists. They all deal in copyright and media law is really interesting.

Well, IIRC (IAAL), the thing that makes Patent law practice different is the fact that you have to pass a different bar (the Patent Bar). In order to sit for the patent bar, you have to have a Bachelor’s degree in a hard science. IIRC, the Patent bar is Federal, so it isn’t different from state to state. IOW, the only thing that’s different with the Patent bar is that it allows you to practice before the USPatent Trade Office courts.

Copyright law is just another potential practice area of the regular bar. Ditto trademark and other IP-related fields.

You also might consider the broader field of Entertainment Law. ELaw is tough to go far in, since it’s somewhat popular (it being thought more fun than, say, tax and bankruptcy, or real estate transaction work), and the need for ELawyers is pretty thin.

Wish ya luck…

-Redhawke


Law School:
1st year - they scare you to death
2nd year - they work you to death
3rd year - they bore you to death