Computer Law in an International Perspective (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Programme of Studies.- School of Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam

 

Name of the course unit. – Computer Law in an International Perspective

 

Type of course (e.g. major, minor, elective). – Elective

 

Level of the module /course unit (e.g. BA, MA, PhD). – BA/MA

 

Prerequisites – NA

 

Number of ECTS credits. – 6 ECTS (average student working time: 180 hours)

 

Competences to be developed

 

1.            Characteristics of the Information Society

2.            Understanding of data protection

3.            Understanding of electronic signature

4.            Interpretation of legal texts in context

5.            Application of legal texts in context

 

In this course topics will be dealt with from an international perspective, meaning attention is paid to developments within the European Union and within the United States, and to other international regulations and treaties, such as WIPO, TRIPS and GATT, Council of Europe and OECD.

Learning outcomes

Educational activities

Estimated student work time in hours

Assessment

A survey on the applicability of laws on the (global) internet.

1 Lecture – Anarchy on the internet?

In this lecture we look at the internet without using metaphors and examine the applicability of known laws and legal norms.

2 hours

The course will be assessed by a written (‘closed book’) exam, that consists of five open questions.

Students may obtain a full credit point in participating a discussion group, where they have to submit 1 question and 1 reply to somebody else’s question every week.

Reading assignment on the lectures

5 hours

Working in small groups

0 hours

Personal reflection of themes presented in the lectures

10 hours

An introduction to the problem and possibilities of the ‘Information Society’.

1 Lecture – A rational approach to legal questions on the internet.

In this lecture we look briefly at the technical side of the internet, what aspects of IT have produced the basis of the EU programme dedicated to building an ‘information society’ and the potential legal problems arising from the internet.

2 hours

Reading assignment on the lectures

5 hours

Working in small group

0 hours

Personal reflection of themes presented in the lectures

10 hours

Legal qualification of electronic data

2 Lectures.- The legal status of electronic documents;

– Evidential value of electronic documents, a matter of cryptography.

In these two lectures we examine the legal qualification of electronic data files to be either ‘goods’ or ‘rights’, we relate the evidential value of ‘paper documents’ to that of ‘electronic documents’ and we discuss whether so called ‘temporary files’ should be qualified as ‘copies’ under copyright

4 hours

Reading assignment on the lectures

10 hours

Working in small groups

0 hours

Personal reflection of themes presented in the lectures

20 hours

The digital agenda in intellectual property law

4 Lectures.- In these lectures we will deal with the legal protection of chips, software, data and databases. Attention will be paid to ‘domain name grabbing’.

The complex legal status of the so-called file share downloads will be discussed.

8 hours

Reading assignment on the lectures

20 hours

0 hours

40 hours

2 Lectures.- The purpose of these lectures is to give an overview of e-commerce-trends and of the basic ideas in cryptography and public-key infrastructures (PKI) dealt with before.

4 hours

10 hours

0 hours

20 hours

1 Lecture – We look at attempts to legislate for privacy and it’s related opposite, freedom of expression. Europe is particularly divided on this, and further, the US is even more divergent from Europe.  What policy underlies privacy and freedom of expression in the Information Society?

2 hours

5 hours

0 hours

10 hours

Crime, public safety and security

1 Lecture – In this lecture we look at some of the problems caused by these kinds of transformations of the nature of information. We also look at the trend to enlarge State powers and the needs of the State to observe its populations.

2 hours

Reading assignment on the lectures

5 hours

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