This English-taught postgraduate master’s programme offers advanced legal training on the protection, use and regulation of intangible assets and digital technologies. It covers core areas such as copyright, patents, trademarks, telecommunications, e‑commerce, information security and data protection, and examines how these fields interact with technology, science and the creative industries.
Because IP and IT transactions increasingly cross borders, the curriculum takes an explicitly international and comparative approach. Students study solutions from multiple legal systems, analyse cross‑border cases and regularly discuss transnational problems, making the course relevant for practitioners working across jurisdictions rather than confined to a single national legal order.
The programme is designed to be interdisciplinary and collaborative: while it primarily targets lawyers, it also welcomes engineers, computer scientists, media managers and other professionals who want deeper insight into legal regulation, policy and protective mechanisms in IP and IT. Cohort diversity—both in academic background and geographic origin—is emphasized to enrich classroom debate, group projects and professional networking.
Who should apply / key points
Program structure and assessment
The LLM requires a total of 60 ECTS credits. Twenty ECTS are reserved for the individual Master's module, which is completed by researching and writing a Master's thesis. The remaining 40 ECTS are earned by taking group study modules: each group module is worth at least 5 ECTS, so students choose a combination of modules to reach the 40 ECTS requirement. Module offerings may vary slightly from year to year, but the examples below illustrate the programme’s core focus areas.
Key modules and subject areas
The curriculum centers on the interaction between intellectual property and information technology across national and transnational contexts. Core and advanced modules address foundations and detailed doctrinal issues, including:
Expected learning outcomes
By completing the programme students will acquire authoritative knowledge of EU, national (including German) and transnational dimensions of IP and IT regulation; develop skills in comparative and conflict‑of‑laws analysis; and learn practical legal tools for drafting and enforcing transnational IP/IT contracts and managing cross‑border IT projects. The Master’s thesis (20 ECTS) demonstrates the student’s ability to carry out independent, research‑based legal analysis on a topic within the programme’s scope.
Requirements (at a glance)
You should hold a Bachelor's degree (or higher) in law, computer science, engineering, media studies, or another relevant subject, and normally have one year of relevant professional experience. You may submit your application while finishing your Bachelor's or if you have less than one year of professional experience at the time of application; however, both your degree and the required professional experience must be completed before the programme begins.
We do not impose a fixed grade cutoff because applicants come from many countries with different grading systems, though your academic record will be an important part of the selection. While many students have law degrees, we welcome candidates from other disciplines to promote interdisciplinary discussion. If your prior studies were not in law, you may be asked to briefly explain how your academic background and/or work experience relate to the programme’s focus. The one-year professional requirement can be met through practical activities such as internships, traineeships or comparable placements (for German law graduates, the Referendariat qualifies). Mandatory practical components of a Bachelor's degree do not count as professional experience. In some cases, applicants with under one year of experience may still be admitted.
Winter Semester (International)
30 June 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
30 June 2026
Graduates are prepared for careers addressing legal issues at the intersection of law, technology and creative industries. Typical paths include roles in IP and IT law firms, in-house legal counsel or compliance positions in technology, media and creative companies, and advisory roles on cross-border licensing, contracts and enforcement of IP/IT rights. The programme’s transnational and comparative focus also suits positions involving international transactions, regulatory and policy work, and consulting for multinational clients.
Because the programme accepts non-lawyers and emphasises interdisciplinary collaboration, alumni can also pursue roles in technology transfer offices, data protection and information security compliance, legal-technical project management, and further academic research or PhD studies in IP/IT law and related fields.
University of Mannheim — Mannheim
University of Hamburg — Hamburg
Goethe University Frankfurt — Frankfurt am Main
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin — Berlin