Students

LAWS8024 – Intellectual Property Law

2021 – Session 2, Infrequent attendance, North Ryde

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Rita Matulionyte
Contact via email
Room 512, 6 First Walk
By appointment
Tutor
Vannessa Ho
Contact via email
Tutor
Suman Podder
Contact via email
Lecturer
Niloufer Selvadurai
Lecturer
Daniela Simone
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to JD and 80cp in LAW or LAWS units at 6000 level or above) or (admission to LLM or MIntTrdeComLaw or LLB(Hons))
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides an understanding of the principles and practice of intellectual property law, encompassing the law of copyright, designs, trade marks, patents and confidential information. The unit begins by considering the theoretical underpinnings of intellectual property law, and progresses to a detailed examination of the existing regulatory frameworks and an analysis of the present law reform discourse. The unit will provide students with a doctrinal understanding of the relevant legal principles, and equip students with the capacity to apply legal principles to complex factual circumstances.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Explain and critique the fundamental principles of intellectual property law and demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of the specific rules in intellectual property law through the close examination of legislation and cases.
  • ULO2: Display sophisticated skills of legal analysis through the application of intellectual property law to hypothetical fact
  • ULO3: Demonstrate highly developed skills in the design of new laws and the reform of existing laws through an examination of the policy debates and law reform discourse in key themes related to intellectual property law

General Assessment Information

GENERAL INFORMATION ON RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS 1 AND 2

Word limit – 2,000 words, not including footnotes and bibliography. Footnotes need to be confined to citations. Citations should be in compliance with the Australian Guide to Legal Citations.

Marking rubric – Please see ‘Research Assignment Rubric’. This can be found on the ilearn website for LAWS8024 under the banner of ‘Assessment’.

Independent legal research – Please note that the research assignments will require independent legal research that goes beyond the prescribed readings for lectures and tutorials.

Submission method – The assignment must be submitted via the Turnitin ‘Research Assignment’ icon. This can be found on the ilearn website for LAWS8024 under the banner of ‘Assessment’.

Moderation – The markers will have a series of meetings to moderate the marking of the Research Assignment. The markers and convenor undertake a process of moderation to mark 10% of the papers and establish an equitable and consistent standard. All Fail papers are double-marked.

Late policyUnless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Assignment 50% No 18:00 01/10/2021 (Week 8)
Research Assignment 50% No 18:00 05/11/2021 (Week 13)

Research Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 36 hours
Due: 18:00 01/10/2021 (Week 8)
Weighting: 50%

 

The Research Assignment requires students to undertake detailed and comprehensive research on a particular issue of intellectual property law and present a sophisticated and analytical argument that address the set question. Students are expected to critically evaluate scholarly discourse, including international scholarship and law reform material, to construct well-informed arguments and recommendations.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and critique the fundamental principles of intellectual property law and demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of the specific rules in intellectual property law through the close examination of legislation and cases.
  • Display sophisticated skills of legal analysis through the application of intellectual property law to hypothetical fact
  • Demonstrate highly developed skills in the design of new laws and the reform of existing laws through an examination of the policy debates and law reform discourse in key themes related to intellectual property law

Research Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 36 hours
Due: 18:00 05/11/2021 (Week 13)
Weighting: 50%

 

The Research Assignment requires students to undertake detailed and comprehensive research on a particular issue of intellectual property law and present a sophisticated and analytical argument that address the set question. Students are expected to critically evaluate scholarly discourse, including international scholarship and law reform material, to construct well-informed arguments and recommendations.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and critique the fundamental principles of intellectual property law and demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of the specific rules in intellectual property law through the close examination of legislation and cases.
  • Display sophisticated skills of legal analysis through the application of intellectual property law to hypothetical fact
  • Demonstrate highly developed skills in the design of new laws and the reform of existing laws through an examination of the policy debates and law reform discourse in key themes related to intellectual property law

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Prescribed textbook - Stewart et al, Intellectual Property in Australia (6th ed., Lexis Nexis, 2017).

Tutorial readings - Access via Leganto. Readings are organised by weeks. If you are unfamiliar with Leganto, please contact the library helpdesk.

 

Unit Schedule

WEEK

TOPIC

1-2

Introduction to intellectual property law; Copyright I 

3-4

Copyright II and III

5-6

Designs and Protection of Business Information

7-8

Trade Marks 

9-10

Patents 

11-12

Other IP rights and enforcement

Note: the unit is offered in a semi-intensive (blocked) mode: tutorials will run every two weeks, 2-hours each.

Weekly readings: Please refer to the LAWS8024 iLearn for the relevant Prescribed textbook chapter(s) and tutorial reading(s) required for each week. You can access the tutorial readings via Leganto. Please contact the Library help desk if you are unfamiliar with Leganto.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

In contrast to 2020, this year the unit is offered in semi-intensive (blocked) mode. 

 


Unit information based on version 2021.01R of the Handbook