Undergraduate Course: Law, Information and Technology (LAWS10152)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course covers substantive legal issues associated with software, hardware, the information industries and the Internet. Particular topics of current interest will be selected for in depth analysis, drawn from areas such as technology and intellectual property rights, privacy rights in relation to electronic information, and Internet domain names. Different forms of regulation are explored, such as the role played by the design of systems, alongside discussion of international and transnational legal principles. |
| Course description |
Introduction to IT Law
Regulation
IP protection for software
Copyright in cyberspace 1
Copyright in cyberspace 2: P2P, downloading and enforcement
Content liability
Trademarks, the internet and domain names
Online privacy
Privacy and social networks
Cloud computing
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed: (
Contract and Unjustified Enrichment (LAWS08127) OR
Contract and Unjustified Enrichment (LAWS08094))
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Spaces on this course are allocated as part of the Law Honours Course Allocation process. Places are generally only available to students who must take Law courses. To request a space on this course, please email Law.courseselection@ed.ac.uk |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | This course is only open to visiting students coming through a direct exchange with the School of Law (including Erasmus students on a Law-specific Exchange). Exchange students outside of Law and independent study abroad students are not eligible to enrol in this course, with no exceptions.
**Please note that Honours Law courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.**
Priority will be given to students studying on exchange within the Law department, and it is highly unlikely that there will be additional spaces for general exchange students & independent study abroad students to enrol; we will look into this on a case-by-case basis in September/January. Visiting students are advised to bear in mind that enrolment in specific courses can never be guaranteed, and you may need to be flexible in finding alternatives in case your preferred courses have no available space.
These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% examination |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- 1. Knowledge and Sources of Law:
a) A deeper knowledge of different approaches to control and regulation, with specific reference to different theories regarding the regulation of the Internet
b) An advanced understanding of the impact of intellectual property law in the information and communication industries
c) An advanced understanding of the law of (online) privacy
- 2. Subject-specific Skills:
a) Understanding of law in a transnational context, including the interaction between different legal orders and associated questions of enforcement
b) Analysis of cases and statutes, including in areas where knowledge of the substantive area of law may be low, requiring an appreciation of both the existing principles and the impact (or non-impact) of technological innovation on those principles
- 3. General Transferable Intellectual Skills:
a. Critical thinking regarding issues of current controversy, including the careful analysis of claims made by corporations, governments and civil society organisations
b. Evaluation of electronic resources, including those from non-peer-reviewed sources
- 4. Key Personal Skills:
a. Clear written communication, including explanation of both legal and technical terms
b. Problem-solving
c. Engaged, respectful discussion in a group environment
- 5. Subject-specific Legal and Ethical Values:
a. Appreciation of the purported social and ethical issues (threats and opportunities) associated with technological change, and how such features are related to legal matters.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Law Info Tech |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Judith Rauhofer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: Judith.Rauhofer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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