LAW4341 - Copyright and designs - 2018

Copyright and designs focuses on two important forms of intellectual property ('IP'). 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 copyright and design rights and other relevant forms IP law.

Upon completion of this unit students should be able to:

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

Take-home examination (3,000 words): 60%

AND

Assignment (2,000 words): 40%

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