LAW4341 - Copyright and designs - 2017

Copyright and designs focuses on two important forms of intellectual property. Learn why we have copyright law, its international framework, what it covers, whether it exists in any given scenario, whether it has been infringed and the possible consequences of such infringement. Then examine Australia's designs law, which protects the visual appearance of manufactured goods, with a focus on the overlap between copyright and designs protection. Throughout, there will be an emphasis on current legal issues and the relationships between these rights and other parts of IP law.

Upon completion of this unit students should:

1. have an appreciation of the policies and objectives underlying the regimes of intellectual property protection studied;
2. be in a position to comment critically on those policies and objectives and to relate them to proposals for law reform;
3. be in a position to provide basic advice to authors, designers and other creators, as well as users of material created by such persons, as to their rights and liabilities under copyright and designs laws;
4. have an appreciation of the basic features of the international rules governing the protection of copyright and designs.
5. have an appreciation of the impact of technological change on the formulation and protection of the rights studied; and
6. have enhanced their skills of case analysis and statutory interpretation.

Take-home examination: 100%

OR

Assignment (1000 words): 20% and take-home examination: 80%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Dr George Raitt

For students who commenced their LLB (Hons) course in 2015 or later:

LAW1111; LAW1114; LAW1112; LAW1113; LAW2101; LAW2102; LAW2112; LAW2111

For students who commenced their LLB course prior to 2015: LAW1100 OR LAW1101 and LAW1102 or LAW1104; LAW3401 and LAW3402

For students who commenced their LLB (Hons) course in 2015 or later: LAW3111 and LAW3112