Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 11 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT OF 5,000-6,000 WORDS | 80% |
| Semester Assessment | ORAL PRESENTATION | 20% |
| Supplementary Assessment | WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT OF 5,000-6,000 WORDS TO BE RESUBMITTED, IF FAILED | 80% |
| Supplementary Assessment | ORAL PRESENTATION OR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT IN LIEU OF ORAL PRESENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED, IF FAILED | 20% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Understand of copyright law and its enforcement both domestically and internationally.
2. Become familiar with UK Copyright law which will provide the framework for undertaking a comparative analysis in respect of the copyright laws of many other countries.
International Copyright conventions will be studied and detailed attention will be paid to the extent to which the laws of developing countries and their enforcement procedures will have to change to combat copyright infringement. The copyright laws in several jurisdictions will be examined, including for example, the USA, countries within Europe and within Asia. Students will be able to critically assess the copyright law that is currently in force in these countries and will be able to analyse the issues from both a practical and theoretical perspective.
Brief description
Issues relating to copyright increasingly demand for an international perspective to be taken. Piracy of goods is a major problem, with pirated goods, produced in breach of intellectual property rights, especially copyright, accounting for around 5% of world trade. The international community is attempting to counter this by harmonising laws and law enforcement procedures through international agreement and political pressure. This module considers copyright protection for authors, publishers, software houses and the sound recording industry; the public interest in the dissemination of information; and the copyright issues in global information systems such as the Internet.
Content
2. UK Copyright Law - key principles of the current legislative framework.
3. Copyright in Europe - approaches to copyright regulation and enforcement in Europe.
4. Copyright in Asia - an analysis of selected jurisdictions, with a particular focus on music piracy and technological advances.
5. Copyright in the U.S.A - comparing and contrasting the Anglo-American approach with copyright laws in Europe and the Far East.
Transferable skills
Throughout the module, students will practise and develop their skills of research, analysis, time-management, oral and written presentation. In seminars they will develop their ability to listen, understand and explain subject related topics as well as present a point of view orally and discuss their thoughts with the rest of the class; their assignments will enable them to develop their skills of independent research, analysis, presentation and writing (including data collection and retrieval, IT and time management). All learning throughout the module will be relevant to a career in any legal profession.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7