00229 - Industrial Law

Learning outcomes

The Course is aimed at giving students a thorough knowledge of the Intellectual Property Law or Copyright Law and related rights (rights of  publishers, phonogram producers, producers of audiovisual works, etc), both at a theoretical and a practical level, in view of the exercise of legal practice or consulting activity in the field of Intellectual Property.

Course contents

Also in the academic year 2009/10 two alternative syllabi are available. Students may choose between the two of them according to their own interests. The two syllabi are completely equivalent in order to pass the final exam: each student shall indicate to the members of the examination board the chosen syllabus before the exam to get started.

A) The first syllabus is focused on Intellectual Property Law, in particular on unfair competition, trademarks, patents, registered models and designs, confidential information, semiconductor topographies and plant varieties, both at a substantial level and in connection with the means of legal enforcement as provided for under the new Intellectual Property Code (legislative decree no. 30 of 10 February 2005).

B) The second syllabus is focused on Copyright law and the related rights of publishers, phonogram producers, producers of audiovisual works, etc.

 

The lessons associated to the present course, held by the tenured Professor in the academic year 2008/09 at the University of Bologna, will mainly deal with the contents of Syllabus B). Nevertheless, for those interested in Syllabus A) on Intellectual Property Law (trademarks, patents, etc.), it must be noted that this is the subject of the Intellectual Property Law Course held in Ravenna by Professor Musso.

Students who attended the Course in the past academic years but who still didn't undertake the exam, may choose between the new and the previous syllabus.

Readings/Bibliography

Syllabus A) AA.VV. Diritto industriale - Proprietà intellettuale e concorrenza, 2nd edition, Giappichelli, Torino, 2005, pages 3-333 and 609-637. Besides the study of the textbook and the code of industrial property, an extensive study of the following laws is required: d.l. 10 January 2006, converted with modifications by the  law no. 78 of 22 February 2006 on biotechnological inventions (whole text); legislative decree no. 140 of 16 March 2006 on the protection of intellectual property rights (articles 14-20 only). N.B. It is strongly suggested to get the 3rd edition of the textbook, whose publication is expected by October/November 2008, which will incorporate an analysis of the two legislative texts mentioned above. As soon as the 3rd edition of the textbook will be published in 2009, the pages to be studied will correspond to the correlatives chapters of the previous edition.

Syllabus B) A. MUSSO, Diritto di autore sulle opere dell'ingegno letterarie e artistiche, Zanichelli - Il Foro Italiano, Bologna-Roma, 2008, pages 1- 447. As to the footnotes, it suffices to read selectively those related to the issues dealt with in the textbook or, for students attending the course, those related to the issues examined during the lessons.

Students who attended the Course in the past academic years but who still didn't undertake the exam, may opt for the syllabus of the academic year in which they attended the course or choose one of the two textbooks mentioned above.

Teaching methods

Nonetheless 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 – when assigning a thesis in Intellectual Property Law.

Assessment methods

Oral examination

 

Take note that the students in the list of the exams who are not present at the proper date - unless deleted three days before through the specific on-line procedure or for exceptional hardship cases to be proved - are not admittet to the following exam in the same period.

Teaching tools

An updated Civil Code with Complementary Laws, the new Italian Intellectual Property Code (legislative decree no. 30 of 10 February 2005) and the two recent laws pointed out in the  “Textbook/Bibliography” section of this web page.

Students opting for the Copyright Syllabus must refer to an updated text of the law no. 633 of 22 April 1941 as successively modified.

The normative sources pointed out in the syllabi are easily available over the Internet and normally included in the appendix to many editions of the Civil Code with Complementary Laws

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Musso