LLM Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law
The LLM Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law brings together two of the most important legal questions of the 21st century: the fate of law in the information age, and the management and exploitation of diverse forms of creativity, reputation and innovation.
Building on a long record of teaching at the cutting edge of law and technology, the UEA Law School is home to a strong team of scholars investigating everything from IP enforcement to the rights and risks associated with ‘Web 2.0’. Students can choose from a range of specialised, internationally-focused modules on IT and IP, but can also take the opportunity to study subjects in the closely related field of media law, or other subjects offered in the School on commercial and competition law.
Key Facts
Designed to develop legal knowledge and skills for those intending to specialise in a legal career in information technology law (including the Internet and e-commerce industries) or any area of intellectual property law
Focus on the relationship between law and technology (without assuming detailed knowledge of particular technologies), and the social, economic and cultural consequences of new or amended forms of regulation and governance
Over 25 subjects to choose from
Core Modules
- Internet Law and Governance
- Globalisation of Intellectual Property Law
- Legal Skills and Research
- Supervised Dissertation (40 credits)
Optional Modules
Students must select 40 credits from these modules, and then a further two modules from this list or from the full list of LLM modules.
- Current Issues in Intellectual Property Law
- The Law of Electronic Commerce
- Data Protection and Freedom of Information
- Copyright, Contracts and the Creative Industries
- Biotechnological Inventions
Popular options from the full list of LLM modules include Protection and Management of Reputation and Privacy (dealing with defamation, privacy and related issues from a private law and comparative perspective), International Commercial Litigation (dealing with jurisdiction, choice of law and enforcement in an international context), and International Competition Law.
For those interested in pursuing further research, particularly in an academic environment, a module in Research Methods for Law is available. With the consent of the Course Director, modules from other Schools in the University can also be chosen, such as those on new media offered in the Faculty of Humanities.
Please note that although every effort is made to provide the full range of modules, some combinations may not be possible and in some years certain modules may not be made available. All modules carry 20 credits unless otherwise indicated.
LLM Teaching Team
The Teaching Team includes Professor Christopher Wadlow, an internationally recognised expert in unfair competition, passing-off and IP enforcement; Professor Alastair Mullis, co-author of Carter-Ruck on Libel and Privacy (2010) and a key figure in public debate regarding libel reform in the UK and beyond; Dr Michael Harker, a principal investigator at the Centre for Competition Policy; Emily Laidlaw and Paul Bernal. The course director is Dr Daithí Mac Síthigh.
All are active researchers in these fields and have published in the most esteemed academic journals (such as the European Intellectual Property Review and the International Journal of Law and Information Technology), and are immersed in the key contemporary debates regarding intellectual property and IT.
