99182 - INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student: - will have a systematic knowledge of the principles regulating intellectual property rights under international law and on how these principles apply in the main common law and civil law systems; - will be familiar with the various types of intellectual property rights (trademarks, patents, industrial design, copyright and related rights) and will be able to identify the form of protection best suited to each specific business; - will be able to understand and critically evaluate, also with reference to globalisation and international trade, the political and economic dynamics that characterise the international intellectual property system.

Course contents

- Introduction to international intellectual property law and its principles

- Historical background, the international treaties and their development

- The TRIPs Agreement and its assessment after 30 years of its adoption

- International patent law

- Pharmaceutical patents, compulsory licensing of patents and covid vaccines

- Standard essential patents in the international context

- International copyright law

- Copyright, fair use and Internet culture

- International trademark law

- Colonialism and neo-colonialism through intellectual property law

- The global gender gap in innovation and creativity

- The impact of AI on intellectual property protection

- Intellectual property and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals

- Rethinking intellectual property law 

During the course, group case studies, moot court exercises, group presentations and practice quizzes will take place in class (in presence or online). 

Readings/Bibliography

Textbook for the written exam:

Frankel S and Gervais D J, Advanced Introduction to International Intellectual Property (Edward Elgar 2016)

Further recommended readings:

Dutfield G, Suthersanen U, Dimita G and Mimler M D (eds), Dutfield and Suthersanen on global intellectual property law (2nd edn, Edward Elgar 2020) – selected parts 

Goldstein P and Trimble M, International Intellectual Property Law: Cases and Materials (6th edn, Foundation Press 2024) – selected parts  

Abbott F M, Cottier T, Gurry F, Abbott R B, Burri M, Große Ruse-Khan H and McCann M, International intellectual property in an integrated world economy (5th edn, Aspen Publishin 2024) – selected parts  

Articles and papers on specific topics will be indicated by the lecturer during the course and included in the course materials. 

Teaching methods

Face-to-face lectures, in presence.

Tutorials, moot court exercises, case studies, quizzes, group presentations and the mock exam will be delivered in hybrid mode, in-presence and online (virtual classroom). 

The course is part of the University’s experimental teaching project, as it is carried out through blended learning. 

Assessment methods

For attending students:

50% of the final grade is determined by an oral group presentation on a legal case/topic among those given by the lecturer 

50% of the final grade is determined by the final written examination (closed-book exam, with open questions), where you can answer only 2 questions of your choice out of 3

For non-attending students:

100% of the final grade is determined by the final written examination (closed-book exam, with 3 open questions)

Teaching tools

The module is carried out in hybrid mode, in-presence and online, for more dynamic teaching activities.

Students with learning disabilities are invited to contact the lecturer to agree on the most suitable arrangements for the final examination.

Office hours

See the website of Eleonora Visentin