Module Identifier | LAM0520 | ||
Module Title | INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW | ||
Academic Year | 2000/2001 | ||
Co-ordinator | Ms Allison Coleman | ||
Semester | Semester 2 | ||
Other staff | Dr Huw Smith | ||
Course delivery | Seminar | 2 Hours 1.5 hhours once a week | |
Assessment | Seminar presentation | 20% | |
Essay | Students may choose one of the following: 1. 2 x 2500-3000 word essays. 2. 1 x 5000-6000 word essay. | 80% |
Objectives
The aims and objectives of this course are a thorough understanding of copyright law and its enforcement both domestically and internationally.
Students will become familiar with English Copyright law, then look at differences in the approach of other legal systems, such as those of the US, Continental Europe, Malaysia, China and Far Eastern Countries.
International Copyright conventions will be studied and detailed attention will be paid to the extent to which laws of developing countries and their enforcement procedures will have to change to combat copyright infringement.
Aims of the module
Piracy of goods is a major problem with pirated goods, produced in breach of intellectual property rights, especially copyright,
accounting for around 5% of world trade. The international community is attempting to counter this by harmonising laws and
law enforcement procedures through international agreement and political pressure. This module considers copyright protection
for authors, publishers, software houses and the sound recording industry; the public interest in the dissemination of
information; and the copyright issues in global information systems such as the Internet.
Syllabus
1. Principles of English Copyright Law
Copyright, Patents and Designs Act 1988
Copyright works
Ownership of copyright
International protection
Duration of copyright term
Assignment and licensing
Permitted acts
Infringement
Moral rights
2. Important of copyright for trade, focussing on publishing, the sound recording insdustry and software houses.
3. Theories of copyright protection: comparing and contrasting the Anglo-American approach with that of continental Europe, the Far East and socialist countries.
4. Problems of Piracy
Piracy and developing world.
5. International Conventions for the protection of copyright
Berne Convention
Rome Convention
GATT TRIPS
6. Copyright and the European Community
Intellectual property v competition laws
Harmonisation and the Copyright Directives.
7. Copyright problems of global information systems eg Internet
(Please note that this syllabus is subject to change)