GUERNSEY has set its sights on becoming a centre of intellectual property expertise with the launch of a new master’s qualification. The Training Agency has added to its portfolio of postgraduate programmes with the Master of Laws (LLM) in Intellectual Property Management in association with the Board of Industry and in conjunction with Bournemouth University.

Two senior staff from the university’s School of Finance and Law launched the qualification to a panel of representatives from the agency, the board and the IP working party.

The comprehensive two-year programme is split into three sections and will cover all areas of IP from global economics, contracts and conveyance to ethics and exploitation.

Professor Ruth Soetendorp, Bournemouth University’s director of the Centre for IP Policy and Management, was confident that the LLM course was capable of encompassing the specialist nature of the Bailiwick.

‘Coming here with limited knowledge of Guernsey, I feel that the policy dimensions of IP are key on the island. There are a number of areas, such as heraldry, that are Guernsey-specific and not incorporated within the generic course guidelines,’ she said.

‘However, we can work on such topics – which will make great dissertation subjects for stage three of the course.’

Professor Richard Conder, chief executive of the agency, said that the LLM was an extension of its commitment to the island’s legal profession and an essential specialist qualification if Guernsey was to become a driving force in this relatively-new niche market.

‘Cultivating the IP industry is an important stream in the economic development of the Bailiwick. In addition to updated legislation, if Guernsey is to be regarded as an offshore IP centre of excellence, it needs to ensure that it has a workforce trained in the specialist area of IP management,’ he said.

John Ogier, economic and strategic adviser at the Board of Industry, will work alongside the agency and the university in the provision of specialist courses.

He said that the opportunity to develop IP expertise on-island would bring Guernsey in line with other jurisdictions.

‘The board has been working on developing IP opportunities and updating the island’s legislation. Together, these can form part of the future knowledge economy, where value is created out of developing and managing ideas and processes. This requires specialist expertise and training, which this initiative will provide,’ he said.

Deputy John Langlois, chairman of the working group, was excited at the prospect of developing the island’s IP expertise through the course.

‘We wanted the island’s IP regime to be at the cutting edge and designed for the 21st century. The legislation was drafted against a blank piece of paper and is currently with the Privy Council for ratification,’ he said.

‘It was based on intense research, which took us to the best IP jurisdictions, namely Singapore and Hong Kong, both of whom we want to stand alongside in standards of management.’

The LLM course is due to commence in September. It will be run on-island with lecturers from the university coming over for 12 weekend sessions over the course of the two-year programme. Assessment will be via exam and assignment.