Stockholm university

Intellectual property law is that area of the law that regulates the economic and moral rights to vesting in intellectual achievements such as designs, literature, arts, brands and inventions. The subject is divided into four main different areas: designs, copyright, trademarks, and patents.

Intellectual property law is special because what is protected is not always something that can be seen or touched, i.e. it deals with rights that affect something that is often immaterial. An intellectual property right means that its holder has the exclusive right to exploit the product. This includes both rights that protect intellectual achievements, i.e. copyright, patents, plant variety, and design rights, and those that are considered to be sign rights, i.e. mainly trademarks and business names. These rights are largely governed by international conventions, to which most countries have acceded.

As a field of law, intellectual property law is extremely important for both businesses and society. Not only do companies devote considerable resources to defending and building value around their ideas or trademarks, but government attention to the values represented by intellectual property rights has increased significantly in recent years. The importance of intellectual property rights is now central - both to fostering innovation and to the advancement of the market economy and society's economic growth.

Related research subject

Law
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Researchers

Jonas Nordell

Professor i civilrätt

Department of Law
Per Jonas Nordell

Jan Gunnar Rosén

Professor emeritus

Department of Law
Jan Rosén

Claes Granmar

Universitetslektor, docent

Department of Law
Claes Granmar

Lydia Lundstedt

Universitetslektor, docent

Department of Law
Lydia Lundstedt

Research projects

Courses and programmes

Doctoral studies

If you want to further immerse yourself in legal science, and in particular within the field of Intellectual Property Law, apply for doctoral studies at the Department of Law. We offer a dynamic environment with research of the highest class and of strong international character.

Read more about doctoral studies at SU Law

News

Departments and centres

Centres and other units

Founded in 1956, Institute for Intellectual Property and Market Law (IFIM) is based at the Faculty of Law of Stockholm University. IFIM’s core mission is to promote research and education in the fields of intellectual property law and market law. To this end, IFIM undertakes several activities, including organizing events, maintaining and developing a special Library, and promoting knowledge of and research in the fields of intellectual property and market law.

Institute for Intellectual Property and Market Law

The Stockholm University Intellectual Property Law Review (SIPLR) is a student-led journal of legal scholarship with a focus on European Intellectual Property Law. The primary purpose of SIPLR is to create an academic legal forum where the most influential and significant topics of IP law are discussed by students, scholars and lawyers.

The Editorial Board comprises of students and the programme directors of the Master’s Programme ‘European Intellectual Property Law’ from Stockholm University. Students are selected in the first semester of the course.

Stockholm University Intellectual Property Law Review

Departments

By offering a wide range of academic programmes in law bringing together researchers, teachers and students from different horizons, the Department of Law at Stockholm University creates strong and stimulating educational and research environments of the highest class.

Department of Law