​North Carolina Central University is launching a Intellectual Property Law Institute with the help of funding from Cary-based software giant SAS.

Protection of intellectual property, or IP, is a crucial factor for technology and life science firms as well as startups. And the Triangle is home to hundreds of such companies.

“NCCU’s law school is committed to provide education and training in emerging areas of legal practice,” said Phyliss Craig-Taylor, the dean of the NCCU School of Law, in making the institute announcement on Wednesday. “IPLI will allow us to matriculate practice-ready graduates prepared to address the difficult IP questions in the 21st century.”

The amount of funding was not disclosed.

SAS is a frequent donor and supporter of educational efforts, including analytics study programs and its own educational software division.

“The IP Institute is a perfect nexus of two important advocacy areas for SAS,” said John Boswell, SAS Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. “We’re helping a local university produce talent that’s in high demand in the Triangle and beyond. The graduates of this program will provide needed resources to the legal market, which will help businesses and organizations innovate and thrive.”


The IP Law Institute

NCCU’s statement about the purpose of the institute:

“The IP Law Institute will fill a critical need of one of the fastest-growing practices of law, while attracting students with undergraduate degrees in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. The Institute has the additional objectives of:

1) recruiting STEM students with diverse backgrounds and experiences to intellectual property careers;

2) providing practical experience for students in the protection of creative works and innovations;

3) advanced training for law graduates in the form of continuing legal education seminars, symposiums and publication; and

4) promoting a quality patent system through filing Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) in the public interest.”


The new institute will offer students “practical legal experience” through review of “suspect” patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Its initial focus will be on North Carolina-focused industries.

NCCU’s law school is one of 11 institutions that are certified by the USPTO to offer both a Patent Clinic and a Trademark Clinic.

Charles Smith, an NCCU law professor, will be the IP Institute director. He previously worked for Xerox as a patent attorney and as a counsel at Bechtel Corporation.

“This support of the Institute by SAS is enormously valuable to the principle objective of training students to be key players in addressing the quality of United States Patents,” Smith said in the announcement. “We are truly grateful to SAS for demonstrating leadership and support for students and this community.”

The IP Law Institute will fill a critical need of one of the fastest-growing practices of law, while attracting students with undergraduate degrees in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. The Institute has the additional objectives of: 1) recruiting STEM students with diverse backgrounds and experiences to intellectual property careers; 2) providing practical experience for students in the protection of creative works and innovations; 3) advanced training for law graduates in the form of continuing legal education seminars, symposiums and publication; and 4) promoting a quality patent system through filing Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) in the public interest.