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From the lecture theatre to IP in practice

Internships offer a valuable opportunity to combine theory and practice and gain insights into different areas of law. But what’s it really like to work as a legal intern at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI)? We take a look behind the scenes with Ella Meyer to find out what challenges she has overcome, what insights she has gained and where her career will take her next.

Photo: IGE
 

A fascination with intellectual property

Ella’s fascination with intellectual property (IP) began while she was studying for her Master’s at the University of Zurich. The 26-year-old was immediately drawn to the topic. She says that new questions are constantly arising in the area of IP. She particularly enjoys the variety of topics: from trade mark law to copyright and design protection. Her passion for art and literature ties in perfectly with IP. “I found it interesting to examine the legal side of these fields, which also fascinate me in my private life,” says Ella proudly.

 

Varied tasks and first insights into practice

The legal internship at the IPI consists of many different elements, including trade mark examination, opposition proceedings and tasks in the Legal & International Affairs Division. Ella was able to explore all of these areas during her internship. She spent the first two months in the Trade Mark & Design Division, where she examined new trade marks in detail and learned how to enter them in the trade mark register. The team welcomed her with open arms and fully included her in the day-to-day work from the start. She also drafted decisions on trade mark conflicts in the Opposition Proceedings team, with a particular focus on learning the art of argumentation under the guidance of Olivier Veluz. “I felt that my opinion and point of view were really taken into account in every task,” Ella tells us. Throughout all of the work processes, she was in regular contact with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). She also analysed contracts, closely studied the ‘Swissness’ criteria to answer various queries from the general public and worked on data protection. What’s more, she created a flyer to be shared in-house regarding compliance. She designed the contents of the flyer with Christoph Nyffeler, who supervised Ella during her internship and was always a great help to her.

 

Continuous learning in many respects

Instead of one major learning moment, Ella says she experienced many smaller milestones: “Every day I learned a little bit more about intellectual property.” She particularly learned about legal matters at national and international level and gained valuable knowledge by participating in international EU projects. Ella very much appreciated the introductory programme at the IPI, in which the theoretical aspects of the subject matter were explored in depth. In April 2025, the legal intern will go to WIPO in Geneva to attend the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights’ discussion on AI. She’s sure that she’ll learn a lot at this event.

 

Two highlights of the internship

One achievement that the 26-year-old is particularly proud of is writing a report for sic!, which will be published in July 2025. sic! is a journal on intellectual property, information and competition law. Its editorial office is located at the IPI. Ella’s report covers several presentations given by various lawyers and specialists on trade mark and design law as well as the latest developments in case law in Switzerland and Europe. The intern also had the opportunity to stand in for Eveline Capol, who is head of the secretariat of the non-profit association STOP PIRACY. In this role, Ella answered queries by phone and email and gathered valuable experience in educational and awareness-raising work on counterfeit products. Taking on temporary responsibility in this new field was an enriching experience for Ella.

 

Influence on her professional future

The internship at the IPI has significantly influenced Ella’s future career path. Her goal is to be admitted to the bar and to further deepen her knowledge in the field of IP. She sees the experience she has gained here as a solid foundation for her next steps.

 

What’s next?

After her internship at the IPI, Ella will move on to Lausanne, where she’ll start an internship at a law firm that specialises in intellectual property. Ella says that she’ll be able to use all the theoretical knowledge she has learned here in the future. She also finds that the social skills she’s acquired are particularly valuable: “For example, how to work with different people in a team – these are skills that will also benefit me in the future.”

 

We would like to thank Ella Meyer for her work and we wish her every success in the future.

 

What an internship at the IPI is all about

If you’d like to work as an intern at the IPI, you can look forward to the following:

 

  1. The legal internship lasts six months, divided between two divisions: two months in the Trade Mark & Design Division and four months in the Legal & International Affairs Division.
  2. Close collaboration and regular exchanges with trade mark examiners and legal advisers.
  3. Acquisition of valuable knowledge about intellectual property.
  4. The opportunity to see how a trade mark application becomes a registered trade mark.
  5. The possibility of attending conferences at WIPO and the WTO to hear the IPI present Switzerland’s positions.
  6. Direct support from your supervisor.
  7. Linguistic diversity – the IPI communicates in all four national languages and in English. It’s a great opportunity to improve your language skills.

 

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