| CODE | ECL5033 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Intellectual Property Law: Issues and Harmonization in an International and EU Context | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 12 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European and Comparative Law | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit is tackled from two aspects. The European Union’s attempt at harmonisation of intellectual property (copyright, patents, trademarks and designs) legislation and its efforts to establish a Community patent, a Community trademark and a Community design are contrasted with the harmonisation exercise being conducted at the international level (WTO and WIPO). The second part of the study-unit examines the relationship between EU law and intellectual property rights especially where free movement of goods and EU Competition rules are concerned. In this regard reference is made to the principles that have evolved through ECJ case-law on the subject while the relevant block exemption regulations are analysed. Learning Outcomes: Through this study-unit the student gains an in-depth understanding of the rationale, principles and issues underlying the various Community harmonisation directives relating to IPRs and the EU regulations establishing unitary EU-wide IPRs and the impact that these measures have had on national laws and on the rights of IPR holders and users. All this is discussed in the light of international efforts at WIPO and WTO at harmonising intellectual property laws and centralising and simplifying registration and the effect that the European Patent Convention has had on national patent laws so that the student may obtain a holistic view. Secondly, the study-unit enables the student to view these legislative measures not in isolation but within the wider perspective of the Internal Market objective as the study-unit also explores the interface between IPRs and competition law and the free movement provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Reading Material: Main Textbooks - G. Tritton Intellectual Property in Europe, 3rd edn., Sweet & Maxwell - T. Dreier & B. Hugenholtz Concise European Copyright Law, Kluwer - WIPO Introduction to Intellectual Property: Theory & Practice, Kluwer - H. MacQueen, C. Waelde Contemporary Intellectual Property: Law and Policy, & G. Laurie Oxford University Press Other Textbooks - Torremans Holyoak & Torremans Intellectual Property Law 4th edn, Oxford University Press - Bently and Sherman Intellectual Property Law 2nd edn. Oxford University Press - T. Hart & L. Fazzani Intellectual Property Law, Macmillan - W. Cornish & D. Llewelyn Intellectual Property: Patents, Copyright, Trade Marks and Allied Rights 6th edn. Sweet & Maxwell - Jacob, Alexander & Lane A Guidebook to Intellectual Property, 5th edn. Sweet & Maxwell - M. Spence Intellectual Property, Oxford University Press Reference Books - E. Gastinel & M. Milford The Legal Aspects of the Community Trade Mark Kluwer - R. Annand & H. Norman Blackstone’s Guide to the Community Trade Mark Oxford University Press - J. Phillips Trade Mark Law: A Practical Anatomy Oxford University Press - Davison The Legal Protection of Databases Cambridge University Press - K.Garnett, G. Davies & Copinger & Skone James on Copyright 15th edn Sweet & G. Harbottle Maxwell - D. Gervais The TRIPs Agreement 2nd edn. Sweet & Maxwell - S. Maniatis Trade Marks in Europe: A Practical Jurisprudence, Sweet & Maxwell - Musker Community Design Law: Principles and Practice Sweet & Maxwell - C. Fellner Industrial Design Law Sweet & Maxwell - Reinbothe & von Lewinski The EC Directive on Rental and Lending Rights and Piracy Sweet & Maxwell - B. Czarnota & R. Hart Legal Protection of Computer Programs in Europe Butterworths - Singer The European Patent Convention Sweet & Maxwell - Jongen & Meijboom (eds) Copyright Software Protection in the EC Kluwer - G. Paterson The European Patent System Sweet & Maxwell - F. Pollaud-Dulian The Internet and Authors’ Rights Sweet & Maxwell - A. Sterling Intellectual Property and Market Freedom Sweet & Maxwell - L Edwards & C Waelde Law and the Internet Hart Publishing - Stamatoudi Copyright and Multimedia Works Cambridge University Press - Kamina Film Copyright in the EU Cambridge University Press - T. Hays Parallel Importation under EU Law, Sweet & Maxwell - S.D. Anderman EC Competition Law and Intellectual Property Rights, Oxford University Press - V. Korah Intellectual Property Rights and the EC Competition Rules, Hart Publishing - A. Arnull, A. Dashwood, M. Dougan, M. Ross, E. Spaventa and D. Wyatt, Wyatt & Dashwood’s European Union Law, 5th edn., Sweet & Maxwell - D.T. Keeling Intellectual Property Rights in EU Law Vol 1: Free Movement and Competition Law, Oxford University Press - P. Oliver Free Movement of Goods in the European Community 4th edn. Sweet & Maxwell - C Barnard The Substantive Law of the EU: The Four Freedoms 2nd edn. Oxford University Press - R Whish Competition Law, 6th edn., Oxford University Press - V. Korah An Introductory Guide to EC Competition Law and Practice, 9th edn., Hart Publishing - Jones & Sufrin EC Competition Law: Text, Cases and Materials, 3rd edn. Oxford University Press - Faull & Nikpay (eds) The EC Law of Competition, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press - Roth & Rose (eds) Bellamy and Child: European Community Law of Competition, 6th edn., Oxford University Press - G. Ghidini Intellectual Property and Competition Law: The Innovation Nexus, Edward Elgar - C. Stothers Parallel Trade in Europe, Hart Publishing - E. Buttigieg Intellectual Property Law in Malta (International Encyclopaedia of Laws), Kluwer, 2008 Source Materials - A. Christie & S. Gare Blackstone’s Statutes on Intellectual Property 8th edn. Oxford University Press - W. Cornish Cases and Materials on Intellectual Property 5th edn. Sweet & Maxwell Journals European Intellectual Property Review (EIPR) Trademark World (TMW) Copyright World (CW) Patent World (PW) Intellectual Property Quarterly (IPQ) European Competition Law Review (ECLR) WIPO Magazine |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Antoine Camilleri (Co-ord.) Jeanine Rizzo Godwin Warr |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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