Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM139: Copyright and Trade Mark Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of the module is to provide you with an understanding of the development of copyright and trade mark law, and how this explains the operation of the law today. We will assess current case law and statutes through a critical lens in terms of the alleged purposes of copyright and trade mark law. The course is designed to make you think critically about the function of copyright and trade mark law 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 Skills	1. demonstrate a deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of the law relating to copyright and trade marks and a range of major concepts, values and principles relevant to their application; 2. undertake complex critical evaluation, comparing, analysing and synthesising innovatively the principles, rules and theories relating to the scope of protection of copyrights and trade mark rights, using specialist literature and current research.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of a range of legal concepts, values, principles, institutions and procedures, and the capacity to evaluate systematically the relationships among them as well as their limits; 4. apply detailed and comprehensive legal knowledge and understanding to a problem/issue and argue alternative approaches/ to propose solutions innovatively.
Personal and Key Skills	5. demonstrate effective and accurate written communication skills, relying on a broad range of resources, engage in debate effectively and confidently, and develop complex arguments and opinions, all with limited guidance; 6. work independently and effectively, and manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities and assessments.

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	2,500 words	1-6	Written feedback and, where necessary, oral feedback/guidance.

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	100	5,000 words	1-6	Written feedback and an opportunity, where necessary, for oral feedback/guidance.
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (5,000 words)	1-6	August/September re-assessment period

Re-assessment notes

Marks for re-assessments following an earlier failed attempt will, in the absence of special circumstances, be capped at 50%.

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Abbe Brown, Smita Kheria, Jane Cornwell and Marta Iljadica, Contemporary Intellectual Property: Law and Policy (5^th edn, OUP 2019)
Lionel Bently, Brad Sherman, Dev Gangjee and Philip Johnson, Intellectual Property Law (5th edn, OUP 2018)