Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module focuses on intellectual property law from global and comparative perspectives. It intends for students to gain an understanding of the role of copyright, patent, trademark and associated rights such as industrial designs, trade secrets, and geographical indications of origin through consideration of international treaties and agreements, regional harmonisation and unification measures such as those of the EU, and national laws in the UK and other major players as determined by contemporary topics and debates currently occurring in the field.

Outline Of Syllabus

The proposed outline of the syllabus is as follows, with the proviso that case studies will change each year depending on current issues, controversies and developments.

1. An introduction to global intellectual property
2. The international laws and institutions of IP
3. Copyright 1: Subject matters, subsistence of rights, rights
4. Copyright 2: Case study (in light of key doctrines such as originality; this may change yearly depending on current events – it could consider the interactions between copyright and generative artificial intelligence etc.)
5. Trademark 1: Subject matters, acquisition of rights, rights
6. Trademark 2: Case study (in light of key doctrines such as distinctness; this may change yearly depending on current events – it could consider the interactions between trademark and ‘keywords advertising’ etc.)
7. Patents 1: Subject matters, acquisition of rights, rights
8. Patents 2: Case study (in light of the key doctrines such as novelty; this may change yearly depending on current events – it could consider the interactions between patent and global health etc.)
9. Industrial property rights (designs, trade secrets, geographical Indications of origin)
10. Conclusions and summing up
11. Revision

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding
of:

• The purpose and function of IP law internationally
• The interactions between law, economics, society and technological innovation in IP regulation
• The different international perspectives on IP, looking at examples from copyright, patent and trademark
• The role of IP in international trade agreements and the conflicts that arise

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:

Cognitive skills – having completed the module, students will be able to demonstrate these subject-specific skills:

•       The ability to interpret and analyse key theories and principles of IP
•       The ability to analyse and apply IP legal theories and principles to a number of different case studies
•       The ability to critically reflect on challenges posed by contemporary approaches to IP
•       The ability to analyse and synthesise arguments from a range of materials relevant to IP in a range of jurisdictions

Key transferable skills – having completed the module, students will be able to:

•       Demonstrate the ability to think about problems from an interdisciplinary perspective
•       Demonstrate critical reasoning skills
•       Demonstrate skills in collecting, handling, evaluating and applying information
•       Demonstrate oral and written presentation skills, through active participation in seminars
•       Demonstrate the ability to carry out independent research and identify relevant primary and secondary legal materials, as well as non-legal materials of relevance to the subject of study.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Students’ main form of teaching contact will be in the form of lectures and small-group seminar sessions, which will combine elements of interactive lectures, teacher-directed dialogue, and student-led discussions. These will be facilitated by directed research and reading, where in advance of each case study session, students will be expected to read and take notes on one of the articles provided on that particular issue in global IP, reflect on the main arguments of that article, and then search legal databases or other available resources for academic articles providing contrasting opinions or perspectives to the assigned article. Students will be expected to use this structured research activity to present a position in the workshop, allowing for a dedicated student-led approach to the classes.

In addition to these formal classes, there will be a number of drop-in/surgery hours, where students can ask questions regarding course content to prepare for the assessment for the module. Directed research and reading will be prepared for each session, which allows students to develop greater insight into the areas of legal governance discussed in each workshop, with an additional reading list provided on Canvas as further readings or a library list, which can then be used by students drafting their research proposal during their assessment preparation and completion.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The summative assessment is a digital examination in a 2 hour period. Students will be expected to answer 2 questions from a choice of 4 that each covers a range of issues covered in the module. The assessed questions will test their ability to think critically and reflect upon both module content and the substance of the interdisciplinary course content so that they are able to then apply their law knowledge to questions concerning a number of complex real-world scenarios or statements related to a wider body of materials (as discussed throughout the course), to provide a more holistic understanding of the challenges in governing IP globally.

The formative assessment will be in the form of multiple choice questions. There will be four sets of 5 multiple choice questions (20 in total in the semester). Each set is in line with the topic and content of a lecture component and seminar cycle which are Law & Institutions, Copyright, Patent and Trade Marks. Each set will be announced to students on Canvas at the beginning of a lecture component so that students will be able to use the questions and organise their reading and self-study. Answers and feedback will be provided for students at the end of the lecture component to enable them to reflect on their understanding and learning.

General Notes

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