LLAW6141 & JDOC6141

General Course Information

1.1 Course details

Course code: LLAW6141 / JDOC6141
Course name: Contemporary Issues of Comparative Platform Governance
Programme offered under: LLM Programme / JD Programme
Semester: Second
Prerequisites / Co-requisites: No
Credit point value: 9 credits / 6 credits

1.2 Course description

This course examines the legal backdrop of digital platforms and the way they are viewed by authorities and courts as distinct new regulatory objects that need to be addressed. The emergence of this new regulatory object is part of a global tendency that reflects a vital reassessment of tech power and state sovereignty. There are, however, considerable differences in the ways digital platforms are dealt with in different jurisdictions. The course compares the evolving legal regimes of the new digital age and covers principles that govern private and public relationships concerning digital platforms, deploying concrete examples – policy documents, technological developments, legal amendments – to make it obvious that this aspect of the economy is an important issue that lawyers need to be able to wrestle with.

The specific topics covered include: the distinctive legal features of digital platforms and their ecosystems; the layers of governance relationships structuring interactions between different parties, such as advertisers, consumers and users in today’s platform economy; the goals and enforcement of competition law and its intersection with related areas of consumer, data protection and intellectual property laws; the limits of competition and the rise of new types of regulatory instruments in national and international contexts such as the EU Digital Markets Act/Digital Services Act/Data Act/Data Governance Act/AI Act; the complementarities between economic and political power; and new issues regarding the development of Web3 and artificial intelligence.

The course will enable students to engage critically with key debates in contemporary platform governance and provide relevant background for those interested in cross-border legal work.

1.3 Course teachers

Name E-mail address Office Consultation
Course convenor Adrian Kuenzler kuenzler@hku.hk CCT 408 By email

Learning Outcomes

2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course

CLO 1 Describe and explain the various theories governing digital platforms.

CLO 2 Understand the regulatory issues and evolving legal regimes of the new digital age.

CLO 3 Apply the knowledge and understanding of new types of regulatory instruments in national and international contexts.

CLO 4 Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of key debates in contemporary platform governance within the broader economic and socio-cultural context.

2.2 LLM and JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Please refer to the following link:

LLM – https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/

JD – https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-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

Assessment(s)

3.1 Assessment Summary

Assessment task Due date Weighting Feedback method* Course learning outcomes
Class participation N/A 20% 1, 2, 3, 4
Case commentary TBC 30% 1, 2, 3, 4
Take home exam TBC 50% 1, 2, 3, 4
*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

To be advised by course convenor(s).

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

To be advised by course convenor(s).

Learning Resources

5.1 Resources

Reading materials: Reading materials are posted on Moodle
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/