Course Catalog

3 Unit(s)

Intellectual property, from inventions in the world of digital media to those in biotechnology, is evermore central to life worldwide in the 21st century. This course will introduce students to different legal regimes for the regulation of copyright, patent, trademark, unfair competition, and enforcement law across the world. Students will study the key principles, agreements, and institutions that govern intellectual property internationally, and consider the political economy of globalized intellectual property. Further, the course will explore issues such as the acquisition, licensing, and assertion of intellectual property rights across national borders, and country-level international property disputes. Case studies may include considerations of conflicts such as access to medicines, the assertion of moral rights, claims for restoration of historical and cultural patrimony and debates about intellectual property "piracy." Copyright formalities and Berne retroactivity will also be covered. Cutting edge issues in corporate law with intellectual property implications, such as blockchain technology and its consequences for business and commerce, will be considered as appropriate.