module
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3028: Intellectual Property
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to examine the legal rules and principles involved in UK Copyright, Trademark and Patent Law. In addition to analysing the substantive patent and trade mark laws, the module will consider the underlying rationale of the law. By drawing on a number of legal and non-legal materials the module will explore the complex social, economic and political context in which the law operates.
The module aims to encourage you to critically analyse the operation of the law. Registration and similar procedures can encourage a descriptive approach, so this module will ensure that you will be able to place the systems within context. For instance, the development of copyright law is considered in depth so as to make you aware of the landscape of protection, so that the system can be analysed appropriately. The same is done for Patents and Trade Marks.
The module therefore aims to encourage you to think critically and analyse the broader policy framework underlying IP laws, to consider whether the system meets its purported aims, to become involved in debate concerning the possible proposals for reform, and consider the means by which the current rules may be applied to new technologies.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. critically evaluate and analyse the rules and underlying rationale of aspects of intellectual property law 2. recall and critically consider the different influences upon intellectual works 3. understand some of the challenges facing aspects of IP law |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. integrate and assess information from primary and secondary legal sources using appropriate interpretative techniques; 5. ability to critically analyse the substance & rationale of IP law 6. identify and analyse problems arising from the manner in which IP law is currently implemented |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. select, prioritise, analyse and organise your research to a strict deadline, in order to construct original argument 8. plan and undertake tasks, individually and with others, with minimum guidance, to reflect critically on the learning process and make use of feedback 9. become an active learner, and to have an appropriate conception of how to apply what you have learnt in practice 10. work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task |