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Course

Information Technology Law - LAWS3131

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Kensington Campus

Career: Undergraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 4

Enrolment Requirements:

Pre-requisite: Crime & Criminal Process (LAWS1021/JURD7121) & Criminal Laws (LAWS1022/JURD7122) OR Crim. Law 1 (LAWS1001/JURD7101) & Crim. Law 2 (LAWS1011/JURD7111). Co-requisite: Litigation 1 [LAWS2311/ JURD7211] OR Res. Civil Disp. (LAWS2371/JURD7271)

Excluded: JURD7331

CSS Contribution Charge: 2 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

The general subject matter of the course is how law deals with the use of information technology,with a specific focus on computer networks, or 'cyberspace' (of which the Internet is the largest and best-known component). The legal content is based on domestic law (Australia and New South Wales), but the international nature of cyberspace requires a consistently broader view as well.

Recommended Prior Knowledge

Prior computing experience or knowledge is not required for this course, except that students will have to acquire the necessary skills to use the subject’s internet resources - ie use of e-mail and use of the world-wide-web. Students should obtain their own e-mail account before the course starts.

Course Objectives

The objectives of the course are:
  • To examine whether and to what extent computing and data communications technologies are giving rise to a distinctive new field of law (increasingly called 'cyberspace law') and to attempt to identify the subject matter, legal concepts and analytic techniques particular to such a field
  • To provide a reasonably comprehensive survey of the main aspects of existing law which have arisen (or changed) because of these new technologies, or are made problematic by them
  • To facilitate an understanding of the interaction between the overall legal and social contexts of cyberspace, as it gains increasing economic, cultural and social importance

Main Topics

Topics covered include:
  • Online aspects of internet governance
  • Trademarks and domain names
  • Censorship and content regulation
  • Privacy, copyright and patents
  • e-Commerce issues
  • Cybercrime
  • Security and trust
  • Jurisdiction and conflict of laws

Assessment

Research essay (50%)
End-of-session take-home problem assignment (50%)

Course Texts

Prescribed
There is no prescribed text. Specific internet-based resources will be presented in class.

Recommended

Law Books

Study Levels

Undergraduate Study Postgraudate Study Postgraduate Research Study Non-Award Study

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