Intellectual Property

UNH School of Law is consistently rated among the top five intellectual property training school in the nation. The Intellectual Property Library opened January 1, 1995, after several decades of collection development of traditional IP topics. In 2008 the IP Library acquired additional space and doubled in size. This Library actively supports the global activities of the Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property. The IP Library develops the collection far beyond traditional IP topics to include all subjects offered in the IP curriculum such as entertainment, e-commerce, sports, publishing, multimedia, cyberspace, information technology, art and music and computer law. The IP Library is orchestrated by Jon Cavicchi, the only academic IP Librarian in the United States. He teaches a portfolio of courses dealing with legal and patent searching.

One mission of the IP Library as a most comprehensive source of intellectual property, commerce and technology information is the acquisition of information both of historical and current importance, scholarly and practice oriented, in all formats-from the dustiest law book to the most far off database! The Library occupies the third floor of the Library facility but the collection goes far beyond the four walls of the physical space to include many premium Web based services. The Library has been the recipient of many unique collections of practitioner materials donated by intellectual property attorneys and corporate IP departments. These collections of materials from IP professional organizations add a unique depth beyond most academic collections. The IP Library is a proud depository of most publications of the World Intellectual Property Organization adding a strong foreign and international part of the collection.

Patrons enjoy active displays including the Homer Blair Patent Model Collection and the Ralph Baer Exhibit - devoted to the history of IP and the video game industry.
 

More information about the IP Library is contained in this Adobe Acrobat publication.

Brock Impeachment Trial (2000)

In 2001, Franklin Pierce Law Center Library was selected by both a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and a New Hampshire State Senator to house papers from the Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice David A. Brock in the year 2000. Sen.  Sylvia Larsen (D-Concord) donated her files from the Senate trial while Rep. Janet G. Wall (D-Madbury) donated her trial records as well as records of the legislative investigation.  According to newspaper reports at the time, Wall said her House records are more complete because they date back to the original investigation phase. "It is my hope and expectation that these historic files will provide a substantive record at the Law Center in the future for scholars who study this sad, but significant period in New Hampshire 's history," she said.

The records, which were bound and indexed include original legislation that led to the impeachment, notes from hearings and committee work by the House Judiciary Committee and notes pertaining to procedural issues, including the hiring of legal counsel to press the House case. Wall was one of six House Managers to work on the Senate impeachment trial. The collection is housed in the Kenison Room. For access to this collection, please contact Kathy Fletcher at 603-513-5131.

Judge Harry Edwin Trapp Collection

Seventeen rare English law books from the 17th and 18th centuries form the Judge Harry Edwin Trapp collection. Most of the books are "nominative" or named reports published in England between 1659 and 1799. The collection is housed in the Kenison Room. Patrons must be accompanied by library staff when using this collection.