Intellectual Property Law 2: Industrial Property (P02569)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LAW-P-LW0042

The purpose of this module is to consider the laws relating to patents, trade marks, passing off, and breach of confidence within their institutional setting at International, European and national levels.

Recent years have witnessed an expansion in the scope of these intellectual property rights, and having examined the institutional setting in which policy is formed, the reach and impact of these rights within individual territories as well as their movement between territories will be analysed.

The sessions will also highlight areas of particular topicality where these rights are having a particularly strong impact. These areas include: access to medicines, biotechnology, domain names and the protection of computer programs.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Law, (School of Law, Schedule F)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
16/01/2009	09:00	10:50	Lorimer Room, Old College	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The aims of this module are to:
• highlight the institutional framework within which policy is formulated and law is developed in the areas of patents and trade marks
• investigate how rights may be registered at international, European and national levels
• consider the impact of international policy making on the scope and exercise of the rights
• explore how the rights may be infringed
• consider the interests that the law protects and investigate the extent to which it is successful in balancing those interests with other, potentially competing, personal and public interests.

By the end of this module, students should be able to:
• appreciate the variety of institutions involved in the intellectual property field and understand their role and functions in policy making
• understand the mechanisms available for registering rights and the reasons for the rules on which registration rests
• identify the rights in practice, explain their scope and identify when those rights may be infringed
• critically assess the development of the law and how changes in the law affect different interests
• be aware of current developments in the law and be able to contribute in an informed manner to the ongoing debate as to the proper role of these rights.

Assessment Information

The module will be assessed by way of one essay (5000 words worth 80% of the mark) and one other piece of assessment worth 20% of the mark. This could be a 48 hour take-home exercise and might take the form of a problem question; a response to a policy consultation; the preparation of a poster; the preparation of a powerpoint presentation; or it might be a presentation in class.