Intellectual Property Law

Module Leader:
András Jókúti
Year/Term:
2016-2017 Autumn
Level:
Focus
Division:
Arts and Humanities
Credit:
8

Intellectual property law is an important area of law that has gained additional gravity in the last decades – not only for legal practitioners but also for innovators, artists, merchants and everyone engaged in shaping the future. The legal protection of one’s creations creates enormous incentives – but also roadblocks for others. Understanding the logic and limitations of intellectual property rights is essential for anyone embarking on research and development, engaging in artistic creation, pursuing an academic career, trying to distinguish their products from others – or simply downloading movies from the Internet. What is copyright and what is fair use? What are the basic requirements for an invention to be worthy of a patent? How can one prevent others from free riding on their trademark’s reputation? What keeps companies from copying each other’s designs? These are only a few of the fundamental issues that one needs to understand in order to grasp what the law can do to stimulate creation and research while striking the right balance between the diverging interests of society at large. The system affects everyday life, art, health care, the Internet, new devices, and future technologies alike. The module is not only intended for students wanting to pursue a legal career, but reading legal documents is part of the curriculum. Assessment is based on class participation and an argumentative essay on a selected topic related to a current issue of intellectual property.

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