Oxford International IP Law Moot

Find out more about the prestigious Oxford International IP Law Moot and how to apply to join the UCL Law team.

Every year, UCL law students take part in the Oxford International IP Moot. This is a prestigious international event with entries from all over the world. The final oral rounds are held at the University of Oxford in March and are judged by an impressive panel of IP practitioners and judges. The UCL team is coached by Professor Sir Robin Jacob and Joshua Bradley. You can find out more about the Moot, the Moot rules and previous Moot problems on the official Oxford IP Moot website here.

About the Moot

The Moot always concentrates on a fictional IP issue (the Problem) in the courts of Erewhon, an imaginary land with its own laws, based on the laws of other jurisdictions. Typically, the Problem will raise issues relating to more than one area of intellectual property law, so past questions have, for example, covered patentability, passing off, trade mark infringement, copyright defences and design protection. The team may be required research into topics which fall beyond our course syllabus, and to identify relevant authorities from jurisdictions outside the UK.

It is anticipated that the problem for the 2024/2025 Moot will be released towards the end of October 2024. Each university can only enter one team.The Moot has two stages: first, all teams must submit their written submissions in early December 2024; and then, the teams who have submitted the best written submissions will be invited to attend the oral rounds in March 2025. In both stages, the teams argue the legal issues from the perspective of both Appellant and Respondent.

This year the oral rounds will take place at Oxford University between 19 and 22 March 2025.

Who can apply to join the UCL IP Moot Team?

The UCL Moot team is chosen via a competitive selection process at the start of Term 1 in October. Applications are welcome from those studying intellectual property (IP) law at the Faculty of Laws, either as an undergraduate taking the LAWS0019 module (including LLB students, year abroad students and 4th years on 'Law +' degrees), or as a Masters student enrolled on the LLM in Intellectual Property Law. Applications will also be accepted from Masters students who have previously studied IP law as part of their undergraduate degree. 

Competition is fierce for a place on the Moot team because there are only two or three places to fill. As oral advocacy is a significant component of this competition, your application is more likely to be successful if you already have experience of competitive mooting and/or public speaking. We are also looking for team members who have excellent legal research skills, can demonstrate previous experience of working effectively as part of a small team and who are used to working to tight deadlines. 

Please note:

• those selected for the team are expected to participate in regular weekly training sessions, provisionally timetabled for Wednesday afternoons in Term 1 and Term 2, and you'll also need to set aside several additional hours a week to prepare for the training sessions; and  
• the official moot rules do not permit mooters who have already ‘been admitted or licensed to practise law in any jurisdiction.' This rule is most likely to apply to Masters students. Students found ineligible to compete may expect to be disqualifiied from the competition. Please contact us (see below) if you are in any doubt as to your eligibility as soon as possible, as it may be necessary to seek advice from the Oxford Moot Secretary.  

How and when do I apply?

Recruitment for the team takes place soon after the start of Term 1 in October. If you would like to apply, then please send an email to ibil@ucl.ac.uk expressing your interest no later than 4pm on Thursday 10 October 2024. Late entries will not be accepted.

The email should attach a single pdf file including a short letter of interest and your CV (no more than 4 pages in total). Your CV should, in particular, detail your post-16 education, identify your degree course and the subjects that you are studying this year, any mooting experience and/or any previous work experience (or other activies) which illustrate your interest in intellectual property law. The purpose of the letter of interest is so that you can demonstrate (by reference to the accomplishments included in your CV) your interest in IP law, experience of mooting, suitability for the team and how you envisage that participation in the Oxford IP Moot would support your future careers plans. 

Before applying, please check your eligibility and your availability for the oral rounds in March (see above).

If the team is selected to participate in the oral rounds, then the Faculty will cover the moot fees, and travel/accommodation in Oxford.

What may I expect from the selection process?

All timely applications will be be reviewed, and a number of students will be short-listed. Those short-listed may be required to complete a short written exercise and/or be invited to attend a short interview before the final team is announced.

Still interested in applying?

Before completing your application for the moot team, we strongly recommend that you:

• Review Problems and sample submissions from previous years' Moots (see here and here);
• View the recording of the Grand Final of March 2021 (see here); and
• Read the advice from our previous Oxford mooters, below.

Good luck!