Postgraduate Course: Information Technology Law (LAWS11163)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Law |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrc/teaching/llm/ |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course responds to the immense impact computers and the Internet have had, and are having, on substantive law. 'Computer law' has developed since the Seventies from a patchwork of applications of ordinary rules of contract, criminal, and commercial law, to what is largely accepted to be a rapidly growing specialist cognate discipline. It has now expanded to embrace the "new" field of the legal regulation of the Internet.
This course will examine the legal ramifications of computerisation and of the Internet, including topics such as e-commerce, jurisdiction and dispute resolution, intellectual property in software and hardware, privacy, content liability, trademarks, the internet and domain names, online privacy, cloud computing and virtual worlds, computer crime, and online dispute resolution.
Themes relevant throughout the course will be discussed such as globalisation, enforcement, regulatory forms (including self-regulation and soft law) and the competing lobbies for consumers, corporations, industry players, rights-holders and cyber-libertarians.
A further focus will be the extent and need for interaction between themes and legal fields.
Sources will be drawn from the legal systems of Scotland, England, the UK, the US, the EC and Australia.
Session titles are:
1.Introduction to cyberspace & cyberlaw
2.IP protection for software
3.Content liability
4.Trademarks, the internet and domain names
5.E-contracts
6.Jurisdiction
7.Online Privacy
8.Cloud computing and the regulation of virtual worlds
9.Cybercrime
10.Dispute resolution
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet.
Print consumables (paper and ink) would be recommended to provide hard copy of some on screen text and materials (e.g. articles). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Additional information |
This course is taught by distance learning. |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Summary of intended learning outcomes:
The aims of this module are to:
1.Explore the wealth of legal issues associated with computer hardware and software, the Internet and the computer industry, particularly in the light of increasing convergence of technologies and offerings, with a focus on intellectual property, e-commerce and online privacy;
2.Consider the impact and limits of markets, community norms, technological restrictions and law, in regulation of the Internet and virtual communities;
3.Assess the needs of commerce and consumers, citizens and states in respect of private and public transactions on the internet, and the role which is, should and can be played by law;
4.Evaluate the adequacy of existing national, regional,
international and alternative means of dispute resolution and penal sanction given the cross border nature of the internet and online transactions.
By the end of the module the student should be able to:
1.Identify, contribute to and advance the key areas of debate, from a legal perspective, in respect of the Internet and computers;
2.Form a view on the relevancy and adequacy of law and alternatives in advancing these debates, including regarding enforcement and dispute resolution;
3.Analyse the extent to which control over and liability in
respect of hardware, software, data and website content can have negative consequences for individuals and corporations and wider society.
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Assessment Information
One essay of up to 5,000 words (60%); one piece of assessed work (20%); contribution to online discussions (20%).
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Special Arrangements
| This course is taught by distance learning. |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Cyberlaw. Software. E-commerce. Domain names. Online privacy. Cybercrime. |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Judith Rauhofer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Clare Neilson
Tel:
Email: |
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© Copyright 2012 The University of Edinburgh - 6 March 2012 6:14 am
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