Enrolment for Courses

Enrolment for the Centre's courses is conducted through the postgraduate offices either at UQ, ANU or at GU. Students only need to enrol once for the Centre courses and are able to move freely between the three campuses.

For further information about enrolment:

Courses

* The Research Project in Intellectual Property Law counts as 2 courses. A student may undertake this course over one year or complete the full requirement in one semester.

International Intellectual Property Law *

Rules on intellectual property (IP) protection, in the form of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), now form part of the integrated system of international trade rules administered by the World Trade Organization. And IP is increasingly a contentious issue in other international fora - it arises in debates on biotechnology, genetic resources, protection of biodiversity, indigenous rights, the interests of traditional communities, and the regulation of electronic commerce and the knowledge economy.

The IP component of international trade, and the perception by policymakers that effective IP protection is required to ensure future prosperity, means that IP rights arise in multilateral, regional and bilateral trade negotiations and in international dispute settlement. This course will examine intellectual property law from an international perspective, considering the international legal framework and the principal international institutions, the nature of the current international debate, and the practice of dispute settlement concerning TRIPS under the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding.

The course aims to illuminate legal and practical aspects of the relationship between the international IP system and domestic IP law; compliance of national IP systems with TRIPS standards; the role of IP in international policymaking and tensions with other normative systems; and, the nature of international disputes over IP protection and the emerging jurisprudence for their settlement.Specific topics will include the international framework for intellectual property law; the background to WIPO and the WTO TRIPS Agreement; intellectual property as an international issue in relation to trade, development, technology transfer, the environment, and human rights; the law and practice of the WTO TRIPS Agreement and dispute settlement; current international responses to intellectual property issues; and, harmonisation and diversity in national intellectual property law

* This course is not offered in 2006.

Trade Mark Law & Related Rights

This course will examine issues concerning trade mark law and other distinctive signs. Principal topics covered include: the function of trade marks and trade names; registration of trade marks under the Australian Trade Marks Act 1995; management, maintenance, licensing and assignment of trade marks, infringement, defences and remedies; international harmonisation of trade mark law, in relation to well known marks, definition of trade mark use on the Internet, and trade mark licensing and implementation of the Madrid international system in Australia. Other areas include: the use and effectiveness of Indigenous authenticity marks and other forms of certification and collective marks; sui generis approaches to protection, including the protection of Olympics insignia; contribution to current consideration of domain name management in relation to geographical indicators, names of international organisations, pharmaceutical terms and personal names; and analysis of the implications for trade mark law of the current ICANN rules.

Copyright Law & Related Rights

This course will examine copyright law from a legal and policy perspective. It is expected that on completion of this course students will have an understanding of the rationales of copyright law, a knowledge of current international copyright laws, an appreciation of the principles and rules of copyright law in Australia, and the forms of rights management that are used, a recognition of the problems that are developing in relation to particular technologies and fields of industry, and a critical approach to evaluating the economic and social impact of policy reforms relating to copyright law.

Intellectual Property Management & Commercialisation

This course will consider the legal issues raised in the management and commercialisation of intellectual property rights, from the point of view of both producers and users of intellectual property. It will primarily focus on the obtaining, exploitation, maintenance and enforcement of all forms of intellectual property, with a particular emphasis on patents and confidential information.

Principal topics covered will include:

Patent Law & Related Rights

This course will examine the nature of patents, the procedural requirements for obtaining and opposing grant of a patent, patentable subject matter, the substantive requirements for obtaining grant of a patent (novelty, inventive step, and utility), and ownership, infringement, and exploitation of patents. The course will also consider the development of Australian patent law in light of international developments. Particular attention will be given to the application of patent law to certain types of subject matter, including biotechnological inventions, business methods, and chemical and pharmaceutical inventions, and the relationship between patent law and plant breeder's rights, and patent law and ethics.

Selected Topics in Intellectual Property

This course examines in detail a select number of topical issues in intellectual property. While the topics will vary from year to year the course will focus on contemporary issues such as plant variety rights and its relationship with patents, patenting biotechnology and business systems, indigenous intellectual property, access to medicines, research exemptions to patenting, technological solutions to pirating, copyright duration, digital copyright, database protection, access to genetic resources, intellectual property and competition, intellectual property and human rights, trade marks and geographical indicators.

Research Project in Intellectual Property Law

This project enables students to explore in depth a particular aspect of intellectual property law. Students are able to undertake a 15,000 word research project of their own choice. Students should approach the convenors of the intellectual property postgraduate program to discuss possible topics and supervisors. (This research project counts as 2 courses.)