Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module will give students an insight into and a critical understanding of current debates in the legal field of intellectual property (IP), which are provoked by technologies supplied through the digital environment and emerged in the past 0-10 years. The mainly focused region is the EU, as it has played an active and frontier role in legislating laws to regulate technologies, examples spanning from the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market to the EU AI Act. Meanwhile, the module will situate the EU approach in an international context to give students a global perspective and in domestic contexts to offer students a comparative dimension. The module considers the subsistence, exploitation, and enforcement of IPRs in regulating emerging technologies and relevant impacts on innovative business models (e.g., centralised and decentralised), stakeholders (e.g., rightsholders and users), and public policy goals.

Outline Of Syllabus

Indicative course outline (these case studies are subject to change based on combinations of student interest and technological developments):
1. An Introduction to intellectual property rights (IPRs) and emerging technologies
2. IPRs and video games & metaverse
3. IPRs and social media
4. IPRs and artificial intelligence & algorithms
5. IPRs and deepfakes
6. IPRs and streaming platforms
7. IPRs and blockchain & non-fungible tokens
8. IPRs and technological protection measures
9. IPRs and digitalisation of culture
10. Conclusion: the relationship between IP rights and emerging technologies

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Critically evaluate current debates in the legal field of intellectual property regarding emerging technologies in the digital environment.
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of various exploitation strategies of IPRs implemented in several industries (e.g., music, video games) and their consequences on the digital economy.
Understand, from a legal perspective, the impact of emerging technologies and new business models on the development of the digital market and public policy goals.
Analyse complex administrative decisions and judgments on the compatibility of the enforcement of national intellectual property rights with EU law.
Demonstrate an understanding of the scope of application of the existing and upcoming legislation and identify gaps, inconsistencies, or unsettled issues.

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 apply theories of IP protection
The ability to interpret, analyse and apply legal principles to a number of different case studies in IP law
The ability to critically reflect on challenges posed by contemporary approaches to IP
The ability to develop a position on regulatory interventions over emerging technologies from an IP perspective
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 workshops
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

In terms of the specific teaching methods, workshops have been chosen as the most suitable method of teaching for this content, which combined an element of semi-structured lecturing with student interaction and activities. This is facilitated by the structured research and reading activities, where in advance of classes, students read materials provided before each session and think about the emerging technology issues relating to IP acting as the focus of the session. Students will then use this reading to develop a position in advance of the weekly student-led activity in each workshop. In addition to these formal classes, there will be a number of drop-in/surgery hours, where students can ask questions regarding course content, specific readings, or 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 research discussed in each activity, 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 assessment for this module comprises two elements: one group presentation worth 20% of the grade, and one 3,500 word essay worth 80% of the grade.

The purpose of the presentation is to give students confidence in presenting their ideas in an oral form, working in small groups so as to improve their collaborative skillset. Students will take one of the themes of the module, and make a short presentation on the issues arising in their chosen area of focus, as well as having experience of receiving questions and feedback on their presentation. The cognitive and transferable skills developed through this exercise will be beneficial to students in preparing for activities outside of an academic setting. The 3,500 word essay will be based on the key themes and issues arising in the course, with students having the flexibility to choose one of the assigned questions, conduct independent research (developed through the directed reading activities, as well as through conducting research for the presentations), and provide a nuanced and reflective answer on an issue of emerging technologies and IP protection.

General Notes

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