LWMDPC: Emerging Issues in Data Protection and Copyright Law

Module code: LWMDPC

Module provider: School of Law

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Basak Bak, email: basak.baktezgel@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module explores the two expert fields of law, namely data protection and copyright, through cutting-edge discussions around scholarship and case law. It analyses the legal protection afforded to privacy and personal data, with an emphasis on the processing of personal information in the UK and EU regulatory framework. It also provides advanced knowledge of the legal protection that is afforded to creative works and authors under UK copyright law. The sessions involve current debates such as AI-created works, deepfakes and automated decision-making.

The module aims to provide students with advanced and the most cutting edge knowledge of the legal, regulatory and policy issues on the protection of privacy, personal data and copyright to enable them to appreciate and critically assess both the practical day-to-day operation of these areas and their rationales.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the legal protection available under UK copyright and the ability  to critically assess topical issues in these legal areas; 
2. Identify the main rationales for affording legal protection to creative works and industrial designs; 
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the protection afforded to privacy and the conflicts that could arise with other rights, such as freedom of expression; 
4. Demonstrate the ability to understand the protection available to personal information under EU and UK law 
5. Demonstrate the ability to ascertain the substantial law from legislation, case law and secondary literature, as applied to copyright and data protection 

Module content

The topics that will be discussed may include:

1. Historical evolution of the right to privacy, the different approaches to the protection of privacy in the US and Europe, the possible conflicts with freedom of expression, the contemporary framework for protecting personal data and transfers of data
2. Contemporary issues in personal data protection and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the right to be forgotten and automated decision-making
3. Contemporary Issues in Copyright Law: Originality, Subject Matter, Authorship/Ownership
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Authorship, AI-generated works, Copyright Infringement by AI
5. Deepfakes and the Law: Voice Cloning and Synthetic Media
6. Machines Rising: Data Ethics and Internet of Things

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching in this module is designed to provide students with a range of resources on which they can draw in their learning. The main elements are:

• A list of required and recommended readings, with notes and questions that will be used to guide class discussion and reflection
• Eleven 2-hour seminars
• Assessed work that will be used to develop students’ skills and knowledge
• Discussions on case law will be in some instances supplemented with artefacts that have been involved in litigation
• A workshop on essay writing and podcast preparation that aim to enable the development of practical skills alongside the theoretical understanding of core issues and help students achieve in the summative assessments

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

In-class self-assessment for individual presentation templates.

Reassessment

Additional costs