Principles of Intellectual and Industrial Property Law
Full course description
This course focuses on the principles of intellectual and industrial property law as a means to provide incentives to creativity and innovation and to regulate the market. It also traces the development of intellectual property law from an instrument of national innovation policy to a global trade issue. International instruments such as the Paris Convention, PCT, TRIPS, and parallel imports will be covered and their basic principles of territoriality, national treatment, priority and most favoured nation treatment are addressed. In addition, issues of enforcement, procedural issues, civil procedures, and criminal sanctions will be discussed in the context of international obligations and the creation of the European common market.
Teaching methods: Lectures, tutorials, assignments, a mock trial
Assessment method: Weekly assignment(s) including one mock trial (brief or judgment, and oral presentation/argumentation), and an individual written exam. Weight: Assignments 40%, Written exam 60%
Course objectives
At the end of this course, the student can place intellectual property rights in an international and national perspective, is able to describe the role and function of international institutions (WIPO, WTO, European Institutions) and instruments (Paris Convention (PC), Strasbourg Convention, European Patent Convention (EPC), Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), TRIPS, EC Directives and Regulations), will be conversant with concepts such as national treatment, priority and independence of rights, and is able to write a brief/argue a mock trial on a case involving dispute settlement, enforcement, procedural issues, civil procedures, and/or criminal sanctions.