Course details
- DepartmentLSE Law School
- Application codeSS-LL201
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Overview
Intellectual property is at the core of all modern economies. Digital technologies are shaped by rights of creators and inventors, and the licensing practices that have evolved around these rights. Thus, understanding what intellectual property rights protect is indispensable to understand the world around us.
How do content creators get paid? Does YouTube have to pay all its users? How do companies build their brands? Can they trademark colours? How do inventors secure rights over their inventions? Are patents always good indicators of quality?
All these questions shape cultural, scientific and business interactions in today’s modern economy. Thus, regardless of the industry, understanding the key principles and challenges of IP is essential. This course introduces the intellectual property law system and its role in forming the building blocks of the modern economy.
Key information
Prerequisites: An introductory course in a social science subject (for example law, history, sociology, politics, international relations, economics), philosophy, or natural science.
Level: 200 level. Read more information on levels in our FAQs
Fees: Please see Fees and payments
Lectures: 36 hours
Classes: 18 hours
Assessment: One examination and one essay
Typical credit: 3-4 credits (US) 7.5 ECTS points (EU)
Please note: Assessment is optional but may be required for credit by your home institution. Your home institution will be able to advise how you can meet their credit requirements. For more information on exams and credit, read Teaching and assessment
Is this course right for you?
This course is ideal for those students who are seeking to obtain an elementary understanding of the intellectual property law system and its latest developments.
If you are targeting a career in law, the creative industries, industrial life sciences, or digital technologies you should consider this course. It will also be useful if you are starting an LLM programme of study and wish to learn introductory concepts in the area.
Outcomes
- Understand how the various intellectual property rights (copyright, trademarks, patents) operate
- Comprehend the rationale and purpose of copyright, trademark and patent rights, and how they tend to be used by businesses in the modern economy
- Analyse pressing law and policy challenges to the intellectual property system
Content
What I really liked about my course is how I can use it globally- the way the professors taught the course means I could apply it to other jurisdictions.
Faculty
The design of this course is guided by LSE faculty, as well as industry experts, who will share their experience and in-depth knowledge with you throughout the course.
Dr Martin Husovec
Associate Professor of Law
Dr Luke McDonagh
Assistant Professor of Law
Department
LSE’s School of Law is one of the top-ranked Schools of Law in the UK, receiving the highest rating of 4* in the most recent Research Excellence Framework. It also ranked #3 in Europe in the 2023 QS World University Rankings. The School’s research output has a significant impact on national and international policymaking and on decision-making within business, government and other agencies.
Students have unique access to a wide breadth of courses that explore the biggest and most pressing issues affecting our society today. The courses are continually adapted to cover global social phenomena and contemporary developments within law. Many of the full-time graduates of the School of Law go on to play leading roles in law, politics, government, business, media and administration, in the UK and abroad.
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Apply
Applications are open
We are accepting applications. Apply early to avoid disappointment.