Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM147: Patent 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 patent law, and how this explains the operation of that law today. We will examine legislation, case law and academic literature to gain an awareness of how patent law is interpreted and perceived by various stakeholders. We will critically investigate the various patent law systems in Europe, the various courts that decide on these issues, and how they interact with one another. Finally, we will use our knowledge of the patent system to analyse long-standing and contemporary issues related to the patent system, such as access to medicines, the treatment of small and medium-sized enterprises, and the patentability of biotechnological inventions. The course is designed to make you think critically about the function of patent law within society, so that you can consider 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 deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of the law relating to patents and an extensive range of major concepts, values and principles relevant to its application; 2. undertake complex critical evaluation, comparing, analysing and synthesising the principles, rules and theories relating to the scope of protection of patent 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, argue alternative approaches and propose considered solutions.
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 your time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities and assessments.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

Patent Law Justifications
European Patent Systems
Novelty
Inventive Step
Industrial Application and Exclusions to Patentability
Exceptions to Patentability
Patent Infringement and Defences
Patents and Access to Medicines
The Protection of Biotechnological Inventions

Learning and Teaching

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
33	267	0

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

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities	33	11 x 3 hour seminars
Guided independent study	157	Individual reading and lecture preparation (ELE study), further independent research, reading and wider contextual study
Guided independent study	60	Workshop and seminar preparation
Guided independent study	50	Preparation for formative and summative assessments

Online Resources

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

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Other Learning Resources

IP Journals:

European Intellectual Property Law Review (EIPR)
International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law (IIC)
Intellectual Property Quarterly (IPQ)
Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (JIPLP)