Module Identifier LAM0520  
Module Title INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW  
Academic Year 2005/2006  
Co-ordinator Mrs Ruth D Atkins  
Semester Semester 1  
Course delivery Seminars / Tutorials   10 x 2 hour seminars  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment Essay: Students may choose one of the following: 2 x 2500-3000 word essays, or 1x 5000-6000 word essay 1. 2 x 2500-3000 word essays. or 2. 1 x 5000-6000 word essay.80%
Semester Assessment Seminar Presentation:  20%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
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 UK Copyright law which will provide the framework for undertaking a comparative analysis in respect of the copyright laws of many other countries. International Copyright conventions will be studied and detailed attention will be paid to the extent to which the laws of developing countries and their enforcement procedures will have to change to combat copyright infringement. The copyright laws in several jurisdictions will be examined, including for example, the USA, countries within Europe and within Asia. Students will be able to critically assess the copyright law that is currently in force in these countries and will be able to analyse the issues from both a practical and theoretical perspective.

Brief description

Issues relating to copyright increasingly demand for an international perspective to be taken. 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

International Conventions, Treaties and Agreements.

UK Copyright Law ? key principles of the current legislative framework.

Copyright in Europe ? approaches to copyright regulation and enforcement in Europe.

Copyright in Asia ? an analysis of selected jurisdictions, with a particular focus on music piracy and technological advances.   

Copyright in the U.S.A ? comparing and contrasting the Anglo-American approach with copyright laws in Europe and the Far East.   

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Christie & Gare (2004/05) Statutes on Intellectual Property Law 7th.
** Reference Text
Cornish & Llewelyn (2003) Intellectual Property: Patents, Copyright, Trade Marks and allied Rights 5th.
Bently & Sherman (2004) Intellectual Property Law 2nd.
Cornish (2003) Cases & Materials on Intellectual Property Law 4th.
International Business Law: Text, Cases and Readings 4th.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7