Intellectual Property Law PG (11459.1)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Intellectual Property Law PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Online real-time
 UC - Canberra, Online
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra Law School Post Graduate Level Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
Band 5 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit introduces students to intellectual property law principles, concepts and practices. It centres on the dynamic fields of copyright, trade mark, and patent law, with particular emphasis on the way in which intellectual property rights are regulated in the digital environment and global economy. The unit includes consideration of intellectual property law in relation to unfair competition, consumer protection, publicity rights and Indigenous culture.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Explain and apply the role and nature of intellectual property law as essential and evolving areas of Australian law (including development of that law in response);

2. Describe and apply rights in the field of intellectual property law, including assignment of rights, licences, employment undertakings and other undertakings affecting such rights;
3. Describe and appraise the essential principles governing application of intellectual property law within a national and international context; and
4. Implement legal communication, research and analysis skills to intellectual property principles and practice.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline


Skills development

Teaching and assessment in this unit reflects an emphasis on critical thinking (inc problem solving) and reinforcement of soft skills rather than recitation of doctrine.

That emphasis will build your capability for citizenship and professional success regarding artificial intelligence.



Prerequisites

11751 Legal Methods and Skills G AND 11752 Legal Systems G

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

11288 Intellectual Property Law

Equivalent units

6333 Intellectual Property Law PG

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 UC - Canberra, Online Study Block 3 11 May 2026 Online real-time Dr Bruce Baer Arnold
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

There is no mandatory textbook for this unit. The recommended text is Mark Davison, Anne Monotti and Leanne Wiseman, Australian Intellectual Property (Cambridge University Press, 4th ed, 2020). Other texts, such as work by Golvan on copyright and Berger on design law, may suit your particular reading/study style.

As PG law students you are expected to actively engage with case law – avoiding AI-based summaries that are often wildly inaccurate – and scholarly secondary sources (peer-reviewed articles, chapters, monographs, reports). That engagement includes autonomous identification and evaluation of statute/case law and scholarly resources

There will be no 'set readings' each week (eg no 'read pages 37 to 54 before the next class'). The Canvas site includes guidance about how to optimise your time and study skills.

A detailed reading list is provided on Canvas and work of notable value (eg for Assessment Item Three) will be highlighted across the study block. Note the weekly online Drop In session and the prerecorded online Skills Workshop prior to formal start of the study block.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

All assessment items are submitted via the corresponding drop box on Canvas

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Content in the unit is delivered over six weeks on an intensive basis, equivalent to a standard 13 week semester for PG students.

All tutorial and drop in sessions are recorded.

The unit draws on student feedback from several intensive units regarding workload, delivery and assessment.

As PG law students you are expected to actively engage with case law – avoiding AI-based summaries that are often wildly inaccurate – and scholarly secondary sources (peer-reviewed articles, chapters, monographs, reports). That engagement includes autonomous identification and evaluation of statute/case law and scholarly resources.

Participation requirements

Participation at weekly tutorials is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.

Note the weekly Drop In sessions.

Required IT skills

None

In-unit costs

None

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Next step

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