Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
---|---|---|
Semester Assessment | Module Assessment Written Assignment of 5,000 words | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Explain the nature of the legal challenges posed by the application of existing legal regimes for the protection of intellectual property right to computer software and related products.
Explain the development of legal regims protecting intellectual property rights in software and related products such as databases.
Demonstrate an understanding of the differences between literal and non-literal copying and the way in which these concepts have affected the interpretation and application of the law in the UK and US.
Assess the differences between literal works and computer software and their impact on the application of the relevant rules in different jurisdictions.
Explain in which situations patent protection for computer software might be granted.
Explain the nature of the intellectual property rights in databases.
Critically evaluate and compare the use of copyright, patents and sui generis schemes for the protection of intellectual property rights in computer software and related products.
Brief description
Content
2. Approaches to literal and non-literal copying as demonstrated by comparing the copyright protection for computer software in the US and the UK.
3. Issues of decompilation and interoperability and how they have been approached in the Software Directive, the courts and the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
4. Patent protection for computer software under the European Patent Convention and the law of the UK and US.
5. A consideration of a sui generis method of protection of intellectual property rights ? the Database directive and its implementation in a number of EU states and a comparison with the database protection in the US.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7