Courses

Please note this course will not be offered in the 2018/19 academic year.

Course summary

The purpose of this course is to consider the law relating to copyright, design right, database right and performers' rights within their institutional setting at international, European and national levels.

Recent years have witnessed an expansion in the scope of intellectual property rights. Having examined the institutional setting in which policy is formed, the reach and impact of these rights within the UK will be analysed. The sessions will also highlight areas of particular topicality.

The aims of this course are to:

• highlight the institutional framework in which policy is formulated and law developed in the areas of copyright and design rights and related rights; 
• consider the impact of international and European policy making on the scope of these rights; 
• explore how copyright, design rights and related rights may be infringed; 
• and consider the interests that the law protects and investigate the extent to which it is successful in balancing those interests.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Appreciate the variety of institutions involved in the field of copyright and related rights and understand their role and functions in policy making. 
• Identify the rights in practice, explain their scope and indicate when and how those rights may be infringed. 
• Critically assess the development of the law and how changes affect different interests. 
• Explain current developments in the law and contribute in an informed manner to ongoing debate as to the proper role of these rights.
  

Assessment

4000-word essay (80%); participation in online activity (20%).

Terms and conditions

Please note the University reserves the right to make variations to the contents of programmes, including the range of courses offered, and the available choice of courses in any given year may change.

Find out more about the University's terms and conditions