Intellectual Property Law - Copyright and Related Rights
Module summary
The purpose of this module is to consider the law relating to copyright, design right, breach of confidence, and performers' rights within their institutional setting at international, European and national level.
Recent years have witnessed an expansion in the scope of intellectual property rights. After examining the institutional setting in which policy is formed, the reach and impact of these rights within individual territories will be analysed as will the impact of European competition law on the exercise of these. The sessions will also highlight areas of particular topicality such as: moral rights; personality rights; and the interaction between copyright and the Internet.
Session titles
- Introduction to intellectual property law
- Copyright law
- Copyright: moral and economic rights, infringement and defences
- Copyright and the Internet
- Personality rights and performers' rights
- Registered designs
- Unregistered designs
- Database right
- Competition law
- Current issues in copyright
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Appreciate the variety of institutions involved in the intellectual property field and understand their role and functions in policy making
- Understand the mechanisms available for registering design rights and the reasons for the rules on which registration rests
- Identify the rights in practice, explain their scope and identify when and how those rights may be infringed
- Critically assess the development of the law and how changes affects different interests
- Be aware of current developments in the law and be able to contribute in an informed manner to ongoing debate as to the proper role of these rights.
Assessment
5000-word essay (60%); assessed course work (20%); participation in online activity (20%).
