Kaoru Kanai, Japan

LLM in Intellectual Property Law, 2011-12 

School of Law Scholarship Winner

Before I came to Queen Mary, I worked for a Japanese automobile company as an intellectual property (IP) specialist. I was fortunate to meet a lot of people in the world through work, in particular for negotiations of IP transactions, and I gradually came to desire to develop my global perspective and my expertise in IP laws more broadly.

I chose Queen Mary almost without any hesitation because Queen Mary had a high reputation especially in IP law and had the wide range of very attractive modules for me, which covered subjects closely related to my work  and becoming increasingly important to global business operations.

I very much enjoyed studying at Queen Mary. The lecturers gave us high-quality and interesting classes which I miss already. They are quite eminent and busy scholars, however, they are friendly to us and supportive for our research and future careers. I think that London is a good place to study and live. I could have opportunities to meet practitioners and to attend a number of seminars related to my research.

In addition, going to museums and theaters for little pastime is quite easy. Moreover, the students were multinational,  thus discussions and chatting with my classmates and friends were very stimulating and enjoyable for me. After the completion of the LLM course, I am going to return to work in Japan in the IP field. I think that the knowledge and experiences acquired  in London could be applied in my future career. I really appreciate that Queen Mary gave me such great experiences and granted me the scholarship.

Gonzalo Manuel Bleda Navarro, Spain

LLM in Intellectual Property Law 2011-12 Scholarship Winner

Before I came to Queen Mary, I was working in an international law firm in Spain. I decided to do an LLM because I believe that postgraduate studies are a good manner to specialize in a field of law. In my case, I wanted to go deeper into the study of intellectual property and technology law.  I chose Queen Mary because of the good reputation of the centre and its professors attracted me to the University. In addition, Queen Mary has a lot of different modules to choose regarding my specialization. All my teachers are supportive, giving helpful feedback, solving the questions asked by the students and bringing real discussion about the latest law developments and research.  To be a postgraduate student in London is a great experience. This is a multicultural city with lot of different things to do, for instance I have gone to social meetings with my fellow students, and I have attended seminars and conferences in my specialized area of the law.

Atif Bhatti, Germany

LLM in Intellectual Property Law 2010-11
School of Law Scholarship Winner

After qualifying as a lawyer in Germany I worked for an international law firm in patent litigation. However I always wanted to deepen my knowledge in international intellectual property. At Queen Mary I found the right program. With the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute (QMIPRI), Queen Mary has the perfect ability to offer a LLM in Intellectual Property. I found the amount of specialised courses in IP exceptionally attractive, especially compared to similar programs at other institutions. QMIPRI is one of the leading institutions in IP Law. I was really honoured when Queen Mary offered me a scholarship to study for a LLM in IP. But also without this scholarship I would have chosen Queen Mary to study at.

The courses that are offered at QMIPRI are very well presented and lecturers put a lot of effort into these courses. Studying within a diverse group of students from 90 different nations and jurisdictions made the courses and discussions really interesting to me. Most of the lectures are accompanied by tutorials where certain topics will be studied within a small group of students. Moreover certain seminars were offered throughout the year with well-known guest speakers. One of my personal highlights was the participation at the 12th EIPIN conference in Strasbourg and Alicante where I had the honour to represent Queen Mary. EIPIN is the European Intellectual Property Institutes Network, an association of 4 leading intellectual property institutes within Europe.

After the completion of my LLM I will return to work as a solicitor in intellectual property. I look back on very exciting and inspiring year in London where I made new friends for life.

Ramya Ramasamy, India

LLM Intellectual Property Law 2008-2009

"I was very keen on studying Media Law and Queen Mary, University of London is one of the few universities that offers it as a subject. I found it easy to apply and in the six months since I arrived here I have learned so much.

My favourite class is comparative copyrights. The lecturer makes the topic come alive and the atmosphere in class is warm and friendly - I never miss it!

On arrival in the UK I attended the university orientation programme. It was helpful in a way because I learned some basic things like shopping at Tesco is cheaper than Waitrose; how to open a bank account; and which websites I can access for information on London etc.

The best thing about living in London is that there are so many things you can do. It is very multi-cultural and if you stay in a student hall, you are sure to enjoy yourself. After graduation, I hope to get a traineeship contract in a firm here and learn as much as I can. I might then go on to a PhD. In the long term I want to return to India to open my own law firm."

Taras Kulbaba, Ukraine

LLM in Intellectual Property Law 2008-2009

Prior to entering the LLM programme at Queen Mary, University of London, I had graduated from the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University and had received a Master's degree in International Private Law with honours. During the last year of my master's programme in Ukraine I commenced practising law with one of the leading Ukrainian law firms. With the intent to obtain more specialised education in the area of Intellectual Property Law, I applied to a number of UK law schools, including Queen Mary.

Finally I chose Queen Mary among all the offers I had received, as the School of Law at Queen Mary was of the highest quality. Some of these IP courses are exclusively provided by Queen Mary only. Moreover, most of the IP academic staff are world-known specialists in their respective areas.

By participating in numerous inter-university projects and networks, Queen Mary provides its students with the possibility to participate in interesting events all year round.

I really enjoyed the LLM in Intellectual Property Law programme and have drawn from it as much as I could by auditing a number of courses in addition to those I took exams in.

After completion of the LLM course with Queen Mary I joined PETOSEVIC providing services in the area of Intellectual Property in more than 30 jurisdictions. I have a position as an Associate in the Belgian office in Brussels.

Marcus Goffe, Jamaica

LLM Intellectual Property Law

"I am a Jamaican Attorney-at-Law. I obtained my Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree at the University of the West Indies. Subsequently I worked for seven years at the Jamaican Civil and Criminal Bar and as In-house Counsel to a multimedia company in Jamaica.

I decided to pursue my Masters of Laws (LLM) degree in Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary, University of London, because I was looking for a focused intellectual property law programme which would expose me to international intellectual property law. This I found in the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute (QMIPRI), with its specialized lecturers and tutors from various academic and national backgrounds and its high reputation for scholarly research in that area.

Studying at QMIPRI proved for me the right choice, as the new Postgraduate Facility at Lincoln's Inn Fields put me in the heart of legal London, providing the small, focused, postgraduate environment that is crucial to academic excellence. The lecturers are all approachable and knowledgeable in comparative and international intellectual property law and my particular interest in indigenous and traditional people's cultural rights was aptly satisfied by a brand new course, "Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources", the first of its kind to be offered in any LLM programme in London. I was therefore able to receive exemplary supervision of my dissertation on the subject.

In addition to scheduled classes, QMIPRI has fortnightly public seminars on various aspects of intellectual property law, allowing for the interaction and sharing of knowledge between students, academics and practitioners from wider London, the United Kingdom and the world. This all makes for a very healthy and stimulating educational experience which anyone really interested in studying intellectual property law in depth will profoundly appreciate. Having studied at QM, I now feel armed with the requisite research and analytical skills to take on the challenges of a grueling career in intellectual property law wherever."