University in Kazakhstan to launch Master of Laws programme in IP and business law
15 August 2024
Photo: Facebook @Maqsut Narikbayev University
On September 1, 2024, a joint Master of Laws (LL.M) programme in intellectual property and business law will be launched in Kazakhstan.
The joint programme is the first in Eurasia, according to the website of Kazakhstan’s National Institute of Intellectual Property. It will be offered by Maqsut Narikbayev University, a private university in Astana.
Its launch in September is the fulfilment of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) inked on May 15, 2024, by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director-General Daren Tang, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Justice Eskaraev A.N., Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat N. and Maqsut Narikbayev University Chairman of the Board Narikbayev T.M. The signing of the MoU was held during the “National Seminar on Intellectual Property Education and Skills Development” organized by WIPO and held at the university.
Saule Akhmetova, Partner and Branch Director, GRATA Law Firm, Almaty
“I don’t know if it is the first in Eurasia, but it is most likely in Kazakhstan,” said Saule Akhmetova, a partner and branch director at GRATA Law Firm in Almaty. “As the name suggests, it is supposed to be a systematic training program focusing on business law and IP. Kazakh universities offer master’s programs in a more general direction – private law, jurisprudence and others – allowing students to narrow their field of study and choose the topic of their dissertation.”
“Perhaps the proposed program’s focus on narrow areas of law will be an interesting choice for students. However, it is difficult to say [with regard to] the practical benefits because the disciplines of IP and business law are taught by other universities and master’s programs, and students have the opportunity to choose these programs at other universities, among others,” she added.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
