Earn a qualifying law degree at your own pace with the University of London LLB. Dating back to the 1890s, it's highly regarded worldwide.
Course
Modern copyright law
Module information>
Copyright law is complex. The overall aim of this course is to provide you with both a general understanding of copyright law from a comparative perspective and to familiarise you with more contemporary debates.
Many debates centre upon very basic questions of the function and rationale of copyright protection in a modern society. It is not the objective of the course to introduce you to as many specific aspects, and respective judicature, as possible – the coverage of topics, literature and case law is selective, and you are advised to study this course in its entirety so as to acquire a good overview. Many current considerations concerning fundamental aspects, justifications and first principles are discussed in the context of more specific problems.
Module A: Principles, subject matter and international copyright convention law
LWM90A
- Introduction to copyright
- International conventions
- The EU copyright framework
- Subsistence, originality and subject matter
- Originality and specific types of works
Module B: Ownership, transfers, rights
LWM90B
- Ownership and transfer of rights
- Economic rights
- Moral (personality) rights
- Technological enforcement: digital rights management
Module C: The public domain, limitations, exceptions and fundamental rights
LWM90C
- Legal nature and current debates
- Fairness in common law jurisdictions
- Limitations and exceptions in the European Union Copyright Directive
- Exceptions for transformative and referential uses and the impact of the EU Charter
- Compulsory licenses and abuse of rights
Module D: Enforcement: intermediary liability, privacy and private international law
LWM90D
- Liability of intermediaries: overview
- Platform liability under Article 17 Digital Single Market Directive
- Strategic enforcement and disclosure of user data
- Cross-border enforcement: jurisdiction and applicable law
Assessment
Each module is assessed by a 45-minute unseen written exam.
Sequence
It is strongly recommended that you attempt the modules in order.
How to apply
You can apply to study a module individually as a standalone unit or as part of a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Laws qualification.
These modules also contribute towards the following specialist pathways for Laws:
- Commercial and corporate law
- Common law
- Comparative and foreign law
- Intellectual property law
- International business law
- International intellectual property law
