Curious to learn the nitty gritty of Intellectual Property (IP) from an impeccable set of subject matter experts and thought leaders? Want to understand how IP is affected by market forces and governance mechanisms? If yes, then look no further as the applications for the inaugural edition of the SpicyIP Summer School are now being accepted!
Designed to empower students to cultivate critical pluralism in approaching Intellectual Property (IP) law and policy, the SpicyIP Summer School aims to move away from the traditional approach that treats IP in isolation, and rather, positions it as a dynamic governance mechanism that shapes and is shaped by political economy, markets, public welfare, and knowledge ecosystems.
The Summer School aims to adopt a pedagogical methodology that the late Prof Shamnad Basheer had put forward earlier, as a critique of linear and fragmented legal education. The unique methodology “T-FLIP”, as he coined it, is an immersive learning approach that is grounded in real-world complexity.
What does T-Flip stand for?
Theme-Based Inquiry
Flipped Dynamics
Interdisciplinary Synthesis
Polycentric Exploration
This methodology will include approaching ‘themes’ as centres of inquiry, rather than silo-ed ‘subjects’ like patents, copyrights, and so on.
The ‘flipped’ learning method focuses on using classroom time for discussions, problem solving and engaging with the faculty members expertise on the subject.
Inquiries will then be encouraged from different approaches on the same subject matter (“interdisciplinary), as well as seeing how different subject matters may be interlinked and connected to one another (“polycentric exploration”).
The Summer School will be centered on two thematic areas - Pharma Stack and Creativity, Culture, and Contracts. Participants will also engage in activities such as role-playing and simulations, case studies, debates, and dialogues – synthesizing law, ethics, and political economy.
To get a gist of the Summer School from one of the curators of the SpicyIP Summer School, Former, Registrar of Copyrights, Founding Director of CSIR's Open-Source Drug Discovery' project, and Indian Revenue Services officer, Dr Zakir Thomas, click here!
The core faculty of the Summer School comprises Zara Kaushik, Murali Neelakantan, Sandeep Rathod, and Manojna Yeluri. Complementing sessions by core faculty members, the Summer School will see expert sessions offered by other top legal and industry minds, including:
Aakanksha Kumar, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School, who will take sessions on personality rights, and productive cultural consumption in a semiotic democracy;
Adarsh Ramanujan, Independent Practitioner, who will take sessions on patent litigation: offbeat, yet critical issues;
Ameet Datta, Founder, ADP Law, who will take a session on Amendments to the 2012 Copyright Act, artists’ rights, and a Life in Law;
Ashwani Balayan, Partner and Practice Chair, ALG Law Offices India, who will talk on patent claims v. design claims, as well as on trade secrets;
Binay Panda, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, will take a session on how technology has transformed the landscape of drug innovation;
Chetali Rao, Senior Scientific Researcher and Legal Advisor, Third World Network (TWN), will lead a 1-day patent workshop on behalf of TWN;
Kailash Nadh, CTO, Zerodha, will be leading a session on free and open-source software, open data, and software patents;
Kruttika Vijay, Partner, Ira Law, will take special sessions on civil procedure under the Commercial Courts Act, presenting arguments in Court, and client communication;
Nikhil Narendran, Partner, Trilegal, who will talk on GenAI and copyright law, fair dealing, and transformative use;
Prashant Reddy, IP Scholar and Writer, will take sessions on identifying issues in investigational research;
Sheja Ehtesham, Managing Partner, ALG Law Offices India, will talk on IP in outer space, and on career development in law;
Siddarth Abraham, Vocalist, Blind Grafitti, will share his perspective from two decades of performing experience.
The expert speakers listed above have confirmed their participation, with more exciting names to be announced soon!
Alongside these sessions, the organisers of the Summer School, Dr Zakir Thomas, Swaraj Paul Barooah, and Deepali Nayak, will conduct breakout sessions designed to further help the students reflect and engage with lessons from the main sessions.
The organisers will be assisted by Praharsh Gour and Akshat Agrawal in these breakout sessions. These will include group exercises, Q&A sessions, time for writing and reflection, quizzes, panel discussions on careers and higher studies, and more.
Even as we are finalizing the overall details, we would like to thank those who have already committed to supporting the summer school:
- ALG India Law Offices (our Knowledge Partner)
- Swathi Sukumar, Senior Advocate, Delhi High Court
- Ameet Datta, Founder, APD Law Offices
- Adarsh Ramanujan, Independent Practitioner
- Bar and Bench
Their generous support plays a pivotal role in bringing together a vibrant community of students, professionals, and thought leaders to engage in meaningful discussions on intellectual property law and policy. We sincerely thank them for their immediate commitment and enthusiasm in supporting this inaugural edition of the SpicyIP Summer School.
Students of the 3rd-5th year of the 5-year law school programmes, and 1st- 3rd year of the 3-year LL. B. programme.
Law graduates are also eligible to apply. More details on the course can be found in the brochure here.
To Apply
- Check the brochure for more details.
- Candidates will need to do a short and hopefully fun exercise.
- The details of which can be found in the application form linked at the end of the brochure or click here for application form.
Note: Please make sure to go through the brochure first.
When and Where?
The 8-day residential programme will run from June 21 – 29, 2025, and will be in Whitefield, Bengaluru.
Only 25 candidates will be selected for this programme, and we have already started accepting applications.
The deadline for applications is May 23 (11:59 PM)!