Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

Legal issues such as copyright, defamation and censorship. The practical effects of legal regulation (or lack thereof) on the Internet. The nature of the Internet itself, how the different legal issues interrelate and how the application of different legal concepts may shape the future of the Internet.

Objectives

Upon completion of this unit, students should have an understanding of the internet in its various guises and what legal principles affect the use and regulation of the internet in Australia, encompassing more specifically an understanding of:

1. the legal implications of selling goods and services via the internet, including issues of consumer protection laws (including the law of passing off), trade marks and domain names and contracting and transacting on the internet
2. the applicability of traditional copyright principles to the digital environment of the internet
3. how copyright may be infringed on the internet
4. moral rights in the context of the internet
5. how the law of defamation operates in an online context, including what constitutes publication and how this interacts with concepts of free speech
6. the laws affecting content regulation, focusing mainly on the Australian situation with some reference to overseas developments
7. privacy laws as they arise in the online context
8. the international implications of the regulatory framework of the internet.

Assessment

Research assignment (3,750 words): 50%
Take-home examination (3,750 words): 50%

Contact hours

24 contact hours per semester (either intensive, semi-intensive or semester long, depending on the Faculty resources, timetabling and requirements)