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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Postgraduate Course: Information Technology Law (LAWS11163)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Law CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaLaw Other subject areaNone
Course website http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrc/teaching/llm/ Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis course responds to the immense impact computers and the Internet have had, and are having, on substantive law. 'Computer law' has developed since the Seventies from a patchwork of applications of ordinary rules of contract, criminal, and commercial law, to what is largely accepted to be a rapidly growing specialist cognate discipline. It has now expanded to embrace the "new" field of the legal regulation of the Internet.

This course will examine the legal ramifications of computerisation and of the Internet, including topics such as e-commerce, jurisdiction and dispute resolution, intellectual property in software and hardware, privacy, content liability, trademarks, the internet and domain names, online privacy, cloud computing and virtual worlds, computer crime, and online dispute resolution.

Themes relevant throughout the course will be discussed such as globalisation, enforcement, regulatory forms (including self-regulation and soft law) and the competing lobbies for consumers, corporations, industry players, rights-holders and cyber-libertarians.

A further focus will be the extent and need for interaction between themes and legal fields.

Sources will be drawn from the legal systems of Scotland, England, the UK, the US, the EC and Australia.

Session titles are:

1.Introduction to cyberspace & cyberlaw
2.IP protection for software
3.Content liability
4.Trademarks, the internet and domain names
5.E-contracts
6.Jurisdiction
7.Online Privacy
8.Cloud computing and the regulation of virtual worlds
9.Cybercrime
10.Dispute resolution

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet.

Print consumables (paper and ink) would be recommended to provide hard copy of some on screen text and materials (e.g. articles).
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
No Classes have been defined for this Course
First Class First class information not currently available
Additional information This course is taught by distance learning.
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Summary of intended learning outcomes:
The aims of this module are to:

1.Explore the wealth of legal issues associated with computer hardware and software, the Internet and the computer industry, particularly in the light of increasing convergence of technologies and offerings, with a focus on intellectual property, e-commerce and online privacy;
2.Consider the impact and limits of markets, community norms, technological restrictions and law, in regulation of the Internet and virtual communities;
3.Assess the needs of commerce and consumers, citizens and states in respect of private and public transactions on the internet, and the role which is, should and can be played by law;
4.Evaluate the adequacy of existing national, regional,
international and alternative means of dispute resolution and penal sanction given the cross border nature of the internet and online transactions.

By the end of the module the student should be able to:

1.Identify, contribute to and advance the key areas of debate, from a legal perspective, in respect of the Internet and computers;
2.Form a view on the relevancy and adequacy of law and alternatives in advancing these debates, including regarding enforcement and dispute resolution;
3.Analyse the extent to which control over and liability in
respect of hardware, software, data and website content can have negative consequences for individuals and corporations and wider society.
Assessment Information
One essay of up to 5,000 words (60%); one piece of assessed work (20%); contribution to online discussions (20%).

Special Arrangements
This course is taught by distance learning.
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsCyberlaw. Software. E-commerce. Domain names. Online privacy. Cybercrime.
Contacts
Course organiserMs Judith Rauhofer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: Judith.Rauhofer@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Clare Neilson
Tel:
Email: clare.neilson@ed.ac.uk
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