IP Moot Court Competitions

Appellate Advocacy, Brief Writing & Student Competitions • OCU Law

IPLS Moot Court Member Support & Team Sponsorship

Are you interested in testing your brief-writing and appellate oral advocacy skills in intellectual property law? The Intellectual Property Law Society (IPLS) is dedicated to supporting OCU Law students who wish to compete in prestigious national IP moot court competitions.

Coach & Partner Pairing: IPLS may help organization members connect with experienced faculty or practitioner moot court competition coaches. If you need a teammate, we will also help pair you with an IPLS partner.
Monetary Support & Sponsorship: IPLS offers financial sponsorship and monetary support to help cover registration fees, travel expenses, and competition materials for eligible IPLS member teams.

Email Co-Presidents Cloudia & Jacob Contact IPLS via Website Form

Student Highlights & Competitor Spotlights

Celebrating OCU Law students who have proudly represented our law school and society in regional and national appellate moot court competitions across patent, trademark, antitrust, and technology law.

Jaqueline Ruiz Avila and Jacob Beckham at the 2026 GSR Competition
AIPLA • 2026 Competitors

Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition

Jaqueline Ruiz Avila & Jacob Beckham

Pictured are Jaqueline Ruiz Avila and Jacob Beckham, competitors in the 2026 Competition. This year’s topics covered Patent and Antitrust Law. The Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition is named for the late Honorable Giles Sutherland Rich, Circuit Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The competition is an annual inter-law school event sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).

Moaaz Waheed and Arooj Munir at the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition
INTA • 2026 Regional Finalists

Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition

Moaaz Waheed & Arooj Munir

Moaaz Waheed and Arooj Munir competed in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, where they placed Second in the Dallas Regional and advanced to the National Finals in Washington, D.C. The competition gave them the opportunity to work with trademark law and appellate advocacy.

Moaaz Waheed receiving Best Student Advocate Award at the James L. Watson Moot Court
CITBA • 2025 Best Advocate

James L. Watson Moot Court Competition

Moaaz Waheed

Moaaz Waheed competed in the Court of International Trade Bar Association’s James L. Watson Moot Court Competition and received the Best Student Advocate Award. The competition provided an incredible opportunity to argue international trade issues and appear before the judges of the United States Court of International Trade.

Moaaz Waheed and Taylor Jacobsen at the NAPABA Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition
NAPABA • 2025 Advanced to Nationals

Judge Thomas Tang & Dr. Pearl Tang Moot Court Competition

Moaaz Waheed & Taylor Jacobsen

Moaaz Waheed and Taylor Jacobsen competed in the Central Regional and advanced to the national competition in Denver. Their problem involved emerging issues surrounding AI authorship and Rule 702, and the competition gave them an incredible opportunity to sharpen their appellate advocacy, think on their feet, and engage with difficult technology-related legal questions. They were the first team to ever compete in this competition from Oklahoma, and the first to advance to the national stage from Oklahoma.

Featured IP Moot Court Competitions

Key annual moot court competitions in Patent, Trademark, Copyright, Unfair Competition, and PTAB Administrative Trial Practice available to OCU Law students.

Giles Sutherland Rich (GSR) Memorial Moot Court Competition

Sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
Patent & CAFC Law

About the Competition

The Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court competition is named for the late Honorable Giles Sutherland Rich, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The competition is an annual inter-law school event sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). There is no entry fee for the competition. The competition is made possible through the volunteer service of attorneys, judges, and AIPLA professionals.

Tentative Deadlines for the 2026–2027 Competition (Subject to Finalization)

Dec 11, 2026

Priority Deadline for Notices of Intent to Compete (11:00 pm local time)

Jan 8, 2027

Final Deadline for Notices of Intent to Compete (11:00 pm local time)

Jan 29, 2027

Briefs for Regional Rounds Due (11:00 pm local time)

Mar 12–14, 2027

Regional Rounds Held (Three-day regional oral arguments)

Mar 19, 2027

Briefs for National Rounds Due for Advancing Teams (11:00 pm local time)

Apr 14–17, 2027

National Rounds Held (Three-day national finals)

Rules, Forms & Official AIPLA Resources

The 2026–2027 Moot Court Problem and Joint Appendix will be posted in the Fall. Reference official rules and scoring rubrics below:

Moot Court Rules (PDF) Appendix B — Brief Judging Form (PDF) Appendix C — Oral Argument Judging Form (PDF) AIPLA Official Moot Court Portal
About AIPLA

Founded in 1897, AIPLA is a national bar association constituted primarily of practitioners in private and corporate practice, in government service, and in the academic community. AIPLA represents a wide and diverse spectrum of individuals from law firms, companies, and institutions involved directly or indirectly in the practice of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition law, as well as other fields of law affecting intellectual property. Members represent both owners and users of intellectual property.

Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition

Sponsored by the International Trademark Association (INTA)
Trademark & Unfair Competition

About the Competition

The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is an annual event honoring Saul Lefkowitz, whose distinguished career was dedicated to the development of trademark and unfair competition law. The Competition introduces law students to important issues arising in U.S. trademark and unfair competition law while providing an opportunity to develop brief-writing and oral advocacy skills in a mock courtroom setting. The Competition is open to teams of students from accredited U.S. law schools. Approximately 80 teams participate each year.

2027 Competition Information & Anticipated Timeline

Planning for the 2027 Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is underway. Key dates and registration information will be posted in Fall 2026:

Sep 30, 2026

Registration Opens

October 2026

Competition Problem Released

November 2026

Registration Closes

January 2027

Written Briefs Due

Feb 6, 2027

Regional Oral Arguments

March 2027

National Finals

INTA Foundation Regional Travel Scholarship

The INTA Foundation offers travel scholarships to assist eligible teams participating in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition Regional Oral Arguments. Scholarship details, eligibility requirements, and application information for the upcoming competition cycle will be posted when available. Participants are encouraged to review scholarship opportunities as part of their competition planning.

Contact INTA Competitions: competitions@inta.org INTA Official Lefkowitz Competition Page

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who may participate in the Competition?
The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is open to teams from accredited U.S. law schools. Eligibility requirements and participation rules for the 2027 Competition will be published with the official competition launch.
How many students may participate on a team?
Team composition requirements are outlined in the official Competition Rules, which are updated annually and will be published when registration opens.
Do teams need a faculty advisor or coach?
Teams are encouraged to work with a faculty advisor, coach, or practitioner mentor. IPLS may help pair interested teams with a competition coach. Additional guidance will be included in the Competition Rules.
How is the Competition structured?
Participating teams submit a written brief and compete in regional oral arguments. Teams advancing from the regional rounds move on to the National Finals Competition.
What topics does the Competition cover?
The Competition focuses on issues arising in U.S. trademark and unfair competition law. A new Competition Problem is drafted each year.
When will registration open?
Information regarding registration, competition timelines, and key deadlines for the 2027 Competition will be posted in Fall 2026.
Where will the Regional Oral Arguments be held?
Regional competition locations and dates will be announced as part of the official 2027 Competition launch.
Is financial assistance available?
Yes. The INTA Foundation offers travel scholarship opportunities to eligible teams participating in the Regional Oral Arguments. Additionally, IPLS offers sponsorship support for organization member teams.
Where can I find past Competition materials?
Reference materials from the 2026 Competition, including the Competition Problem and Competition Rules, are available on the INTA website. Please note that materials are updated annually and should be used for reference purposes only.
Who can I contact with questions?
Questions regarding the Competition may be directed to competitions@inta.org or to the IPLS Co-Presidents.
About INTA

The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and intellectual property (IP) professionals committed to elevating the understanding of and respect for IP rights to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and societal transformation.

PTAB Law School Moot Court Competition

Presented by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) & the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), in collaboration with Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Patent Trial & PTAB Law

About the Competition

Announced in October 2026 for “the PTAB advocates of tomorrow,” the PTAB Law School Moot Court Competition is a premier national advocacy event organized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), America's Innovation Agency, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), in collaboration with Indiana University Maurer School of Law (IU Maurer). The competition provides law students across the country with a unique opportunity to develop specialized written and oral advocacy skills in the context of an administrative patent trial proceeding.

Teams participating in the competition will have the rare chance to work directly with active Administrative Patent Judges (APJs) to gain practical tips, courtroom experience, and strategic insight into presenting a case and building an effective record before the PTAB.

Competition Structure & Spring 2027 Schedule

The competition takes place entirely in the Spring 2027 semester and features both written advocacy and oral proceedings before sitting APJs:

October 2026

Official Competition Announcement & Inquiries Open

No Entry Fee

100% Free Participation (Open to a limited number of law school teams)

Spring 2027

Written Brief Submission (Each team submits one formal written brief)

Preliminary Arguments

Participate in at least one oral argument before a panel of Administrative Patent Judges

National Finals

Advancing teams invited to argue in person at USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia

Judicial Mentorship

Direct access to APJs for practical tips, professional feedback, and hearing insight

Industry Analysis & Commentary from Patently-O

In his October 2026 analysis for Patently-O, Professor Dennis Crouch highlighted the unique value of the newly structured PTAB competition for emerging patent litigators:

“Each team will submit one written brief and argue at least once before a panel of Administrative Patent Judges, and the finalists will be invited to argue in person at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria. There is no entry fee, but only a limited number of teams will be admitted. Interested schools should contact PTABMOOT@iu.edu. The PTAB previously ran a moot court in 2024-25 and this one looks to be a continuation of that with a bit more structure... The headline pitches the competition to ‘the PTAB advocates of tomorrow.’”

Official Inquiries, Links & Resources

Contact Competition Directors: PTABMOOT@iu.edu Official USPTO Announcement Notice Patently-O Analysis by Dennis Crouch USPTO PTAB Moot Court Program Portal
About the USPTO & Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is America’s Innovation Agency, responsible for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) is an adjudicative body within the USPTO established under the America Invents Act (AIA) that conducts administrative trials, including Inter Partes Review (IPR) and Post-Grant Review (PGR), and decides appeals from adverse patent examiner decisions.

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