Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit will introduce the legal regime protecting creativity and innovation and which at the same time encourages access to these works in the public interest. It will consider and examine the relevant legal issues relating to the common law rules and statutory regulation of intellectual property including copyright, patents, registered designs, trademarks, trade secrets and passing off. It will examine the Australian law and regulation of intellectual property and also consider the special role of international regulators and international treaties. The unit introduces basic principles of intellectual property law, particularly as intellectual property becomes increasingly important and valuable to Australia's innovative economy.

2025 10

Campus offering

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  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 5Online Scheduled

Prerequisites

LAWS104 Foundations of Law and Legal Research

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Identify, explain and show understanding of the le...

Learning Outcome 01

Identify, explain and show understanding of the legal issues/problems relating to intellectual property law in Australia

Understand the nexus between the role of internati...

Learning Outcome 02

Understand the nexus between the role of international regulators and international treaties on Intellectual Property

Explain the common-law rules and customs relevant ...

Learning Outcome 03

Explain the common-law rules and customs relevant to statutory regulation of intellectual property

Understand the impact of technological changes on ...

Learning Outcome 04

Understand the impact of technological changes on the formulation and protection of Intellectual Property

Explain the defences and remedies that are availab...

Learning Outcome 05

Explain the defences and remedies that are available for an action of infringement of copyright, patent, and trademarks

Content

Topics will include: 

  • Overview of Intellectual Property Law: Concept and Categories 
  • Role of International Regulators and International Treaties with Intellectual Property  
  • Copyright  
  • Trademark 
  • Patents 
  • Open Access  

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment strategy is designed to assess knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law, applying knowledge, skills and understanding acquired in Priestley units.  

 

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes listed.  

Overview of assessments

1. Knowledge Challenge: Online Quiz 

1. Knowledge Challenge:

Online Quiz 

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

2. Cases Analyses

2. Cases Analyses

Weighting

60%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Mode: Lectures, tutorials, electronic consultation, library tasks and presentations or Online lectures and activities.

Duration: 3 hours per week over 12 weeks or equivalent. Students are expected to spend 150 hours in total for this unit.

This elective unit allows students to demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law applying knowledge, skills and understanding acquired in Priestley units.

Our strategy is to encourage students to creatively engage with unit content and to apply prior learnings to new legal problems.  

The unit is designed to be delivered in intensive, weekly or online. We have taken a multimodal learning approach to provide accessibility and flexibility to our students and a student-focused approach that increases depth of learning and engagement through actively utilising Canvas.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

 R. Reynolds & N. Stoianoff, Intellectual Property: Text and Essential Cases (5th ed) (Federation Press,  

 Kunle Ola, ‘Fundamentals of Open access’ (2014) 36 (2) European Intellectual Property Report 112-123 

 Brian Fitzgerald, Copyright in the age of access, (2017) 39 European Intellectual Property Report 131. 

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