CML5691S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION

Higher postgraduate course, second semester. One double lecture (3 hours) per week or two intense weeks of lectures, or a combination of these.

30 NQF credits at NQF level 9

Convener: Associate Professor T Schönwetter

Course entry requirements: See Rules for LLM and MPhil Degrees. Students who have not studied Intellectual Property law at tertiary level or who do not have adequate work experience in Intellectual Property may be required to complete an introductory workshop course (which may be held over a weekend).

Course outline:
This course examines the relationship between intellectual property rights and development by examining the ways in which the former either promotes or stifles the latter. It considers the tensions between patents, copyright and other intellectual property rights as drivers of innovation and creativity versus the potential harm they may have on development. The topics will be prescribed from year to year and may be chosen from the following, amongst others: technology transfer and innovation; publicly financed development of intellectual property; copyright and access to knowledge and education; traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions; patents and genetic resources, access to health, and food security, and trademarks and geographical indications. Students are advised to contact the course convener at the start of the relevant semester for an indication of the specific topics to be presented.

DP requirements: Attendance at and participation in lectures and completion of assignment(s).

Assessment: Coursework 50%, Examination 50%