General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW3033 |
| Course name: | Issues in Intellectual Property Law |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Commercial, corporate and financial law |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
This course aims at equipping students for intellectual property (“IP”) practice and takes a practical approach to the study of IP, which is collective term for different areas of law that protect creations of the mind such as copyright, trade marks, patents and trade secrets. We will cover the most important topics with emphasis on copyright and trade marks, including the statutory protection for registered trade marks as well as the law of passing off for the protection of goodwill in registered/unregistered marks. As partners, students will co-create learning materials, share their knowledge, identify IP issues in everyday life, and tackle ill-defined problems. There are three assessment components (please see Assessment Details below) and we will explain and confirm the assessment in the first two lessons. Our approach is authentic assessment, that means only authentic cases and real-life examples are used in assessment.
Important note: some of the authentic cases or real-life examples that we share in class or use in assessment may be reported in Chinese only. ***STUDENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT IN COURSE SELECTION***
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Alice Lee | alicelee@hku.hk | CCT 412 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Articulate and evaluate the key areas of law relating to intellectual property rights.
CLO 2 Analyze and apply the major legislative provisions and cases relevant to intellectual property rights in Hong Kong and other jurisdictions such as UK and Europe, where appropriate.
CLO 3 Identify and advise on intellectual property issues in everyday life.
CLO 4 Conduct independent research in relation to intellectual property protection.
CLO 5 Discern emerging intellectual property trends and problems, both local and worldwide, and suggest possible reforms or solutions.
CLO 6 Evaluate your suitability for intellectual property practice and vice versa.
CLO 7 Enhance your communication, research, presentation and problem-solving skills which will be relevant to your career and lifelong learning.
2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 7 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Original exploration (individual presentation) | 20% | 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Q&A reports (individual work) or Experiential learning (group project) | 30% | 2 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Final exam | 50% | 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
There are three assessment components:
(1) each student will sign up for a desired topic/timeslot, look for an authentic case or real-life example to illustrate the topic, and do an individual in-class presentation called Original Exploration (20%)
(2) there is an option of EITHER interacting with the presenting classmates in class and submitting Q&A reports (individual work) OR small group experiential learning project during the Reading Week (30% in either case)
(3) final exam (50%)
Our approach is authentic assessment, that means only authentic cases or real-life examples are used in the assessment components including the final exam, and the format of the final exam (whether in-hall or take-home) is to be decided by the whole class. Students are encouraged to join the first two lessons for further elaboration on the assessment components.
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar: | 3 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
A three-hour seminar every week, with ample time for Original Exploration and Q&A. Those who opt for the small group experiential learning project will collaborate during the Reading Week (the second week of March 2027) to meet and advise non-law students on IP issues. The number of groups and group size will depend on how many students are interested in experiential learning and we will confirm the details when we meet in class. As partners, students are encouraged to join the first two lessons to share their views on learning and assessment.
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: |
|
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/