Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH Intellectual Property Law
School	Birmingham Law School
Department	Law
Module Code	08 25552
Module Lead	Dr Zhu
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-28 hours Seminar-12 hours Guided independent study-160 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Intellectual Property Law examines the legal protections available for new ideas and new products. This is one area where the law is constantly responding to technological developments. This module will consider examples such as Coca Cola, Apple and Cadburys as the law of copyright, patent and trademark is considered. The module will cover a wide range of topics including: The national and international frameworks of intellectual properties Copyright; categories of works, criteria for protection, authorship & originality, moral & economic rights, infringement & defences, remedies, digital copyright (databases, internet and software) and international copyright (TRIPS, WIPO etc) Trademarks; registered trademarks, international and community registration & requirements, rights & infringement, unregistered trademarks & passing off Patents; scope & objectives, novelty & `the inventive step,? infringement & EU initiatives and biotechnology. Contemporary Issues in IP; patent, copyright and trademark current issues & reform. Students will also gain knowledge of the main legislative instruments at both a national and international level, and develop familiarity with the major cases in these areas.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module, students should be able to: Have acquired a thorough understanding of the core elements of copyright, trademarks, design rights and patents in intellectual property law. Understand the legal framework within which intellectual property law generally operates; Understand the exploitation of intellectual property rights and their importance;Appreciate which intellectual property right may be best suited to protecting particular products or properties; Understand the emerging issues in biotechnology and other areas that are challenging the law including some recent reviews; Explain the differences between each of the main intellectual properties; Explain the different requirements and rights that accrue under each of the intellectual properties covered in the module content. Interact with other members of the learning group, sharing information and ideas to engage in scholarly debate based on module content;
Assessment	25552-01 : Take Home Exam : Exam (School Arranged) - Open Book (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessments: Take home exam (open-book) - 3hrs (100%) Reassessment: Resit failed component(s)
Other
Reading List