The innovations that produce economic growth and social progress first arise as ideas. The cost of bringing a new idea to market can be extraordinarily high, but the cost of copying that innovation is often very cheap. Intellectual property law tries to balance the incentive to create with society’s interest in spreading the benefits of innovation. The ability of digital technologies to copy and exploit the advantages of unique intellectual achievements presents new challenges for intellectual property law, making it one of the fastest-growing legal specialties in the United States. Virginia's IP program, combining a broad array of courses, hands-on clinics and professors who are focused on the real-world applications of their scholarship, offers students a unique foundation for exploring these challenges.