Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM075: Copyright Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of the module is to provide you with an understanding of the development of copyright law, and how this explains the operation of copyright law today. We will assess current case law and statute through a critical lens in terms of the alleged purposes of copyright. The course is designed so as to make you think critically about the function of copyright within society, so that you can understand the broader cultural complexities involved.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the legal framework regulating stakeholders, namely right holders and users of copyright materials;
2. Demonstrate critical and comprehensive understanding of the way in which the copyright balance operates, with reference to both the theoretical and historical concerns;
3. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the proposals for copyright reform, and the process by which these have come about;
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Demonstrate a high level of ability to develop, apply and critically assess international legal arguments, using a wide range of appropriate primary materials and advanced scholarship;
5. Demonstrate critical and systematic understanding of the relationship between the various forms of regulation, from statute through to norms;
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical justifications for copyright and their application within statute and case law;
Personal and Key Skills7. Demonstrate the ability to process and evaluate effectively a substantial body of complex and sometimes contradicting legal and non-legal information; and
8. Demonstrate the ability to be able to take their learning of the law and apply it to real life situations.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover the following topics:

  1. Introduction to the principles of Intellectual Property Law - Outline & Theory
  2. Copyright Introduction
  3. Copyright Subsistence
  4. Copyright Infringement
  5. Copyright Defences
  6. Digital Copyright
  7. Moral Rights
  8. Confidence Law
  9. Remedies
  10. Reform
  11. Revision

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
332670

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities3311 x 3 hour seminars
Guided independent study267Guided independent study – this includes, for example, set reading for classes, preparation for student presentations, and revision for examinations.

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

UK Intellectual Property Office: www.uk-ipo.gov.uk

AHRC funded Copyright History website: www.copyrighthistory.org

IP Kat (news website) www.ipkitten.blogspot.co.uk