This course is intended for students interested in patent law. The class is not a bar review course for persons planning on taking the patent bar exam, although it is a useful survey course on the basics of United States patent law. The patent will be evaluated as a legal instrument, including teachings on the role of patents in protecting inventions. The course will cover the requirements for obtaining a patent on an invention (utility, novelty, non-obviousness), and fundamental aspects of enforcing patents in the federal courts (patent infringement litigation), including damages theories. The interface between USA and international patent law will be introduced.