85458 - Digital Copyright and Related Rights (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student knows the main legal principles - as well as the basic national, EU or international provisions - on copyright and related rights in the digital environment. The student is able to understand how to basically deal with lawful ownership and licensing of copyrighted digital subject-matter.

Course contents

Analysis of the general principles and the main provisions laid down in International Agreements or EU Directives on Digital Copyright and Neighboring Rights, as well as the most relevant EU case law.

National provisions or cases - e.g. from US, GB, French, Italian, German, Chinese Copyright Law(s) - may be examined in order to find out the enactment/enforcement of the above mentioned international rules, through a comparative approach.

Integrative contents shall be determined by the teacher for students who must fulfill credits from other courses/exams, according to the rule of the School of Law.

Readings/Bibliography

Besides the sources indicated in the "teaching tools" & "teaching methods" sections, the following handbook is suggested only for non-attending students' basic and optional more general background: - J. BLOMQVIST, Primer On International Copyright And Related Rights, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar (paperback edition), 2014, pp. 1 - 241.

This handbook may be lent in libraries or ordered in bookshops or bought online through the publisher's website (http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/primer-on-international-copyright-and-related-rights?___website=us_warehouse ) or other on-line booksellers.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. These lectures shall deal with the more essential provisions in International and EU Copyright Law (see "Course Contents"), as well as with the essential case law.

The knowledge of these provisions and cases, as well as the main comment discussed in class, will be the sole subject-matter of the exam for steadily attending students (instead of the handbook above mentioned). Before the exam, a specific list of these cases & materials, analyzed during the lectures, shall be published on this website.

Assessment methods

For both attending and non-attending students, the exam takes place in oral form, and consists of 3-4 open questions on the entire program as above stated.

The evaluation of the exam will be carried out taking into consideration the knowledge of the institutes of intellectual property, the ability to analyze the different interpretative guidelines, the ability to make connections between the different parts of the program, the ability to develop critical arguments, the articulation of exposure, the exposure accuracy.

To register for the appeals you need to use the AlmaEsami system.

Teaching tools

Lectures commenting the principles, the provisions and the cases on digital copyright and digital related rights.

In addition to the suggested handbook, the main text of (a) the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (latest version adopted in Paris, July 24th, 1971), (b) the "Trips" Agreement (as for the copyright provisions only herein stated), (c) the twin "WCT" and "WPPT" WIPO Treaties (d) the EC Directive No 2001/29, are the fundamental sources of positive law for both attendin and non-attending students

Despite its non-mandatory nature, the attendance of the lessons will be valuable to reach a deep understanding of the subject matter and it will constitute a reason of priority – together with the result of the exam – for a final dissertation on Digital Copyright and Related Rights.

Students who, due to disability or specific learning disorders (DSA), need compensatory tools shall communicate to the teacher their needs so as to be directed to the relevant persons and agree on the adoption of the most appropriate measures.

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Musso