Module Identifier LAM0520  
Module Title INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Miss Allison Coleman  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Seminars / Tutorials   2 Hours Seminar. 1.5 hhours once a week  
Assessment Semester Assessment   Seminar Presentation:   20%  
  Semester Assessment   Essay: Students may choose one of the following: 1. 2 x 2500-3000 word essays. 2. 1 x 5000-6000 word essay.   80%  

Learning outcomes

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

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.

Content

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)