Copyright (LAW384H1F)

This course is an intensive study of copyright law. It is divided into two main parts. In the first, we will study the fundamentals of copyright doctrine through analysis of both classic and recent case law in Canada and other jurisdictions. Topics to be examined under this rubric include the protection of dramatic, musical, artistic, and literary works (including computer software); the relation between authorship and ownership; originality; the idea/expression dichotomy; moral rights; infringement; the defence of fair dealing; the differences between copyright, trademark and patent protection; and the operations of copyright law in the digital environment (e.g. internet file-sharing, technological protection measures, digital databases). In the second part, we will read selected copyright commentary addressing current and related issues. Topics to be examined may include the varying justifications of copyright law as a distinct juridical order, the definition of concepts central to that order (e.g. work, copy, author, user), the role of the public domain in copyright law, the relation between copyright law and freedom of expression, copyright law and education, copyright law and development, copyright law and appropriation art, and copyright law and human rights.