Course overview
The course will examine current issues in intellectual property focussing on the following: private international law and the exploitation and enforcement of intellectual property in a digital world; database rights - copyright and sui generis regimes of protection; geographical indications in trade mark law; the protection of personal information; the international debate concerning protection of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and traditional cultural expressions; and legal and ethical issues surrounding patents in biotechnology.
Course learning outcomes
- Have a good understanding of a range of current issues that affect IP law and policy in Australia
- Have a good understanding of the international context of the operation of the various regimes regulating IP rights
- Be able to critically appraise the intellectual property system and evaluate proposals for reform in a domestic and international context
- Understand the policy issues surrounding the competing interests of intellectual property owners, creators and the broader public
- Be able to present a current IP issue for evaluation and critique in a seminar context
- Be able to recognise and apply intellectual property issues raised in novel contexts and to develop a sustained original research project on an identified topic
- Understand the law relating to those issues and be able to identify and cite relevant primary sources of law (legislation and cases) and secondary sources (academic writing); and 8. be able to demonstrate high level critical thinking and problem solving skills