IP & Competition Law I

1. Define intellectual property and its various forms.
2. Trace the historical development of intellectual property regulation.
3. Explain the justifications and critiques for the protection of intellectual property rights.
4. Discuss the legal and institutional regime for the protection of intellectual property in Nigeria.
5. Define competition law and differentiate it from competition policy.
6. Discuss the rules applicable to competition law in Nigeria.
7. Understand the place of competition regulation in Nigerian business.
8. Discuss the roles and qualities of the competition regulator.

13 weeks, about 32 hours in total. Yours will differ.

1. Week 1Module 1: Intellectual Property - General Introduction

   • Unit 1: Overview of Intellectual Property · 2 hours

     Define intellectual property and related terms.. Discuss the nature of intellectual property as 'property'.. Review case examples like Mazer v. Stein and Wallace Carothers, DuPont and the invention of Nylon..

2. Week 2Module 1: Intellectual Property - General Introduction

   • Unit 2: Historical Background to Intellectual Property Regulation · 2 hours

     Discuss the historical background to the regulation of copyrights, trademarks, and patents.. Compare and contrast between the decisions in Millar v. Taylor and Donaldson v. Beckett.. Identify 3 distinctive elements of the current Bass beer trademark..

3. Week 3Module 1: Intellectual Property - General Introduction

   • Unit 3: Historical Background to Intellectual Property Regulation in Nigeria · 2 hours

     Trace the historical background to the regulation of intellectual property in pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial Nigeria.. Discuss the evolution of trademark, patent, and copyright laws in Nigeria.. Analyze the impact of colonial laws on intellectual property rights in Nigeria..

4. Week 4Module 1: Intellectual Property - General Introduction

   • Unit 4: Justification and Critiques for Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (1) · 2 hours

     Explain the justifications for protection of intellectual property rights under the moral rights theory.. Explain the justifications for protection of intellectual property rights under the reward theory.. Critique the justifications proffered for the protection of intellectual property rights..

5. Week 5Module 1: Intellectual Property - General Introduction

   • Unit 5: Justification and Critiques for Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (2) · 2 hours

     Explain the justifications for protection of intellectual property rights under the incentive-based theory.. Explain the justifications for protection of intellectual property rights under the neoclassical theory.. Critique the justifications proffered for the protection of intellectual property rights under the above theories..

6. Week 6Module 2: Categories of Intellectual Property

   • Unit 1: Copyrights and Patents · 2 hours

     Properly categorize copyrights.. Properly categorize patents.. Review case law related to copyrights and patents..

7. Week 7Module 2: Categories of Intellectual Property

   • Unit 2: Trademarks and Trade Secrets · 2 hours

     Define trademarks.. Explain the purpose of trademarks.. Describe what is meant by 'trade secrets'..

8. Week 8Module 3: Legal and Institutional Regime for Protection of Intellectual Property

   • Unit 1: Domestic Legal and Institutional Regime for Protection of Copyrights, Patents and Industrial Designs in Nigeria · 2 hours

     Identify the major laws that protect copyrights, patents and industrial designs in Nigeria.. Discuss how other laws and institutions also contribute to the regulation of copyrights, patents and industrial designs in Nigeria..

9. Week 9Module 3: Legal and Institutional Regime for Protection of Intellectual Property

   • Unit 2: Domestic Legal and Institutional Regime for Protection of Trademarks in Nigeria · 2 hours

     Identify the major laws and institutions that protect trademarks in Nigeria..

10. Week 10Module 3: Legal and Institutional Regime for Protection of Intellectual Property

    • Unit 3: The Multilateral Regime for Protection of Intellectual Property · 2 hours

      Identify the major multilateral institutions whose regulatory powers extend to intellectual property protection in Nigeria.. Examine the main multilateral legislative instruments dealing with intellectual property protection in Nigeria..

11. Week 11Module 4: Introduction to Competition Law

    • Unit 1: What is Competition Law? · 2 hours

      Define competition law.. Differentiate between competition law and competition policy.. Identify the different terms for competition law in various jurisdictions..

    • Unit 2: Forms of Competitive Behaviour · 2 hours

      Explain the meaning of 'competition in the market' and 'competition for the market'.. Differentiate between 'competition in the market' and 'competition for the market'.. Discuss the concept of 'competition via financial markets'..

12. Week 12Module 4: Introduction to Competition Law

    • Unit 3: History of Competition Law · 2 hours

      Discuss the history of competition law.. Explain the different ways in which competition was regulated in Nigeria before 2019.. State the foremost regulators of competition in Nigeria and their sectors of influence..

    • Unit 4: Basic Concepts of Competition Law · 2 hours

      Differentiate between fair and unfair competition.. Identify the different types of competition.. Discuss the different types of market structure..

13. Week 13Module 5: Benefits and Burdens of Competition Regulation

    • Unit 1: Goals of Competition Regulation · 2 hours

      Explain why competition regulation is necessary.. Give examples from different jurisdictions of how some purposes of competition regulation are advantageous.. Discuss the role of the competition regulator..

    • Unit 2: Burdens of Competition Regulation · 2 hours

      Explain the burdens of competition regulation.. Identify who benefits from the burdens of competition.. Discuss the qualities of an effective competition regulator..