Overview
This course provides an integrated examination of intellectual property law and media regulation across traditional, digital, and platform-based environments. It addresses copyright subsistence, ownership, originality, exclusive rights, infringement, fair dealing and fair use, licensing, moral rights, performers' rights, collective management, and digital dissemination.
The course also examines trademark registrability, distinctiveness, infringement, passing off, dilution, branding, domain names, and online enforcement. Patent and trade secret fundamentals are introduced alongside industrial designs, geographical indications, database rights, and protection of image and personality interests where relevant.
Media law topics include freedom of expression, defamation, privacy, confidentiality, reputation, prior restraint, contempt, source protection, broadcasting, platform governance, intermediary liability, hate speech, misinformation, and content moderation. Particular attention is given to artificial intelligence, digital sampling, streaming, user-generated content, technological protection measures, data protection, and ownership of machine-assisted creations.
Students develop the capacity to identify and compare intellectual property rights, assess infringement and available defences, draft and critique licensing and media agreements, balance expression against reputation and privacy, advise creators and publishers, and formulate lawful responses to rapidly changing technologies.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and compare the principal intellectual property rights relevant to creative, commercial, and digital activity.
- Evaluate copyright, trademark, and related-rights claims, including subsistence, ownership, infringement, defences, remedies, and enforcement options.
- Analyse the legal implications of licensing, collective management, digital dissemination, streaming, sampling, user-generated content, and technological protection measures.
- Draft and critique intellectual property licences, publishing arrangements, media agreements, and platform-facing contractual provisions.
- Assess conflicts between freedom of expression, reputation, privacy, confidentiality, source protection, and public interest considerations.
- Apply media law principles to defamation, contempt, broadcasting, platform governance, intermediary liability, hate speech, misinformation, and content moderation.
- Evaluate legal issues arising from artificial intelligence, data protection, and ownership of machine-assisted creations.
- Formulate lawful, commercially practical advice for creators, publishers, broadcasters, platforms, and other media organisations.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Seminar | 2 hours | Fortnightly | Second term |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Copyright and trademark problem analysis | 20.00% |
| Deliverable | Licensing and media agreement drafting exercise | 20.00% |
| Attendance | Class participation and tutorial preparation | 10.00% |
| Test | In-semester tests (2 × 10%) | 20.00% |
| Exam | Final examination | 30.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
