Requisites: Pre-requisite: [Module LAW09135] Intellectual Property Law

This module will consider the development of copyright law in response to the widespread adoption of digital technologies, from the 1990s to the present. We will survey key pieces of legislation and case law which shaped copyright law's adaptation to new ways of making and enjoying creative works including books, films, and music. We will also see how copyright law in turn shaped and reshaped creative economies over this period. Through comparative analysis of different national approaches, we will consider the law on unauthorised filesharing, music and video streaming, and emerging challenges around copyright law's relationship with generative artificial intelligence. We will discuss the purposes of copyright law and the extent to which it accomplishes those purposes in the context of the Internet. This module will equip you to understand the contemporary business landscape of creative economies, and copyright law's role within it. Module materials will come from various jurisdictions including the UK, Canada, and the EU, as well as international copyright law instruments such as the Berne Convention and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Possess a critical understanding of the substance and purpose of contemporary copyright law and how these have developed.

LO2: Understand and critically evaluate the relationship between digital technologies and copyright law, and appreciate current challenges facing copyright law.

LO3: Critically evaluate the practical impacts of changes in copyright law with respect to creative industries and technological development.

LO4: Gather and synthesise legal and academic material from digital and paper archives.