• Inactive for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Professor Ben Farrand

• Owning School: Newcastle Law School
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

The purpose of this module is to consider the development of an international copyright system, and the way that actions taking place at the international level have served to shape national copyright regimes. For this reason, the module will focus predominantly at the international arena, but will provide examples and case studies from national and regional regimes, including but not limited to the UK, EU, US, Brazil and China. As a FHEQ Level 6 module, the key aim of this module is to ensure that students understand how the interrelated dimensions of culture, history, socio-economic development and lobbying pressures can help us to better understand both similarities and variances in domestic copyright regimes, as well as current developments in international trade.

Outline Of Syllabus

1. The history of the international copyright system – from Berne to Marrakesh
2. Theories and factors in justifying copyright protection
3. What does copyright protect, and for how long?
4. Economic rights and related rights
5. Moral rights – an area of international divergence
6. Copyright exceptions – international guidelines, national discretion?
7. Copyright and the Internet
8. Copyright enforcement
9. International copyright reform, lobbying and expertise
10. Copyright and New Technologies – a variable case study

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

There will be 20 lectures, and 5 1-hour seminars held over the course of the year.

Lectures are intended to provide guidance and a framework for students’ own learning, providing essential information and direction through the module readings, as well as providing the socio-legal context to the understanding of copyright law at the international level. Each area of substance will draw from socio-legal insights and some critical legal studies literature, allowing students to go beyond a surface-level understanding of the law applicable to international copyright law to a deeper understanding of copyright law in context, as well as how cultural and historical differences result in varying levels of the implementation of international copyright law requirements into domestic or regional laws.

There will be five one-hour long seminars, which cover the substantive areas discussed in lectures: 1) History and theory; 2) Copyright requirements; 3) Rights and exceptions; 4) Internet and enforcement; and 5) Lobbying for reform. The seminars will encourage students to actively engage in the identification of key copyright principles in international law, as well as providing examples of where they have been similarly or divergently applied in national contexts, and be able to both place these in their broader socio-legal context and then deconstruct them. The seminars offer an opportunity for students to explore further the issues raised in lectures, scaffolding learning on a week-by-week basis so as to ensure that previous concepts are cemented before moving on to newer, more advanced concepts. Within the context of these seminars, questions will be framed in the context of writing position papers representing the interests of different state and non-state stakeholders in copyright, in order to give practical experience of writing position papers in advance of formal assessment. Research has demonstrated that the use of high-impact activities such as examples of professional skills in the context of substantive subject knowledge help to reinforce both, and previous experience has demonstrated that this has led to improved student outcomes.

Throughout the module, there will be dedicated drop-in times when the students can bring questions regarding the assessment for the module.

These skills can be further developed in private study, which takes the form of directed reading in advance of lectures, consolidation following lectures and preparation for seminars. Finally, in order to test their own substantive knowledge of legal principles, cases and statutes, as well as gaining immediate formative feedback, students are able to take 10 multiple-choice tests that can be used to identify weaknesses in their own knowledge prior to engaging in assessed activities.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Zero Weighted Pass/Fail Assessments

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Summative assessment is provided by means of an assessed position paper and by an attendance requirement.
Policy paper – students will draw from the policy issues identified in the seminars, as well as the examples and questions raised in the lectures, in order to write a position paper concerning the reform of a particular dimension of international copyright law. Students will choose to represent a particular state, industry association or consumer rights group, providing an explanation concerning what changes they would make, and why, drawing upon research conducted into the state or group they have chosen. This will require that they demonstrate understanding both of the current legal framework, as well as where that framework may be contested.


Formative assessment is provided by means of weekly MCQ self-assessments through the module VLE:
The use of multiple choice tests throughout the academic year, in order to ensure a full and complete understanding of the underlying legal principles, relevant cases and statutes, as well as definitions for key terms that may appear frequently throughout the module. They will be designed to specifically draw from lectures and supporting readings, giving students immediate formative feedback on their knowledge of the subject.

Reading Lists

• LAW3230's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• LAW3230's Timetable