LAW3055 : Global Intellectual Property Law and Policy
- 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 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
European Credit Transfer System |
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
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Recorded materials to introduce key concepts and supplement lectures |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
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 |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | N/A |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | N/A |
Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 97 | 1:00 | 97:00 | N/A |
Total | 200:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Digital Examination | 120 | 1 | A | 100 | Inspera, Digital Exam. Choice of two from four questions. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | MCQ |
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.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- LAW3055's Timetable