LAW8545 : Intellectual Property Rights and Emerging Technologies
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Jiarong Zhang
- Owning School: Newcastle Law School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
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
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Activities based around weekly workshops |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | Online drop-in sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 97:00 | 97:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research paper | 2 | M | 80 | 3500 words |
| Oral Presentation | 2 | M | 20 | 10-15 minutes |
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.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- LAW8545's Timetable