Postgraduate Diploma in UK, EU & US Copyright Law

Gain a qualification from a top UK university while remaining in full-time employment.

• Start Date: 1st October 2019
• King's College London

In 2018 this Diploma/MA received an overall satisfaction rate of 100% (The Russell Group average was 80%) from the students in the PTES, Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey.

The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London provides world-class teaching and cutting-edge research and was rated number 1 in the UK in the ‘power’ ranking which takes into account both the quality and quantity of research activity in the 2014 official Research Excellence Framework (takes place every 7 years.)

King’s College London also rated 7th for quality according to Times Higher Education rankings.

Overall, King’s College is one of the top 10 UK universities in the world (QS World University Rankings, 2018/19). It has a distinguished reputation in Law, ranking 9th in the UK (The Complete University Guide 2019).

Course Overview

The Centre of European Law at King’s College London is pleased to announce details of its 2019-2020 Distance Learning Programme leading to a Postgraduate Diploma/Masters in UK, EU & US Copyright Law.

The programme provides tuition from one of Europe’s leading centres in European Law and is studied on a distance learning basis, thereby avoiding crucial time spent away from your place of work. Completing this rigorous programme will give you a competitive advantage in a difficult job market.

The programme is spread over 8 months starting on 1st October 2019 and ending with an examination at King’s College London in May 2019. The units will take you systematically through the whole subject.

There will be three optional weekend seminars held in London in December 2019, February 2020 and April 2020 which will provide an opportunity for revision of the programme, for discussion, preparation for the examination and for you to meet fellow students and your programme tutors.

Programme Aims

The programme aims to provide you with an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the general principles of copyright law, mainly focusing on the law in the United Kingdom, the principles of United States copyright law and the major ‘copyright’ Directives of the European Union. Benefit from a highly relevant programme that will:

• Introduce the main international copyright conventions in the field
• Deal with rights in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, films, sound recordings, broadcasts, cable programmes, computer programs and databases, performers’ rights and publishers’ rights
• Cover both theoretical aspects and questions which arise in practice, in particular concerning infringement and available remedies
• Include a unit devoted to the French and German laws on author’s rights and related rights
• Examine thoroughly United States Copyright Law
• Conclude with the main challenges in the field of copyright

You will qualify with a highly regarded Postgraduate Diploma from one of the top 10 UK Law Schools in the UK (QS World Rankings 2018)

Key Information

• Qualification: Postgraduate Diploma/MA in UK, EU & US Copyright Law
• Start date: 1st October 2019
• Delivery: Online Distance Learning
• Fees: £6,180

Masters Programme

Students who successfully complete the Postgraduate Diploma in UK, EU & US Copyright Law will have the option to carry their credits forward and top up to a King' College London Masters by distance learning. This masters top up will consist of a dissertation of between 12,000-15,000 words.

Ideal For

This programme is attended by Lawyers in Private Practice, In-House Legal Advisers, Senior Licensing Officers, Business Affairs Executives, Contracts Managers, Rights Executives, Trade Mark Specialists.

Countries represented include: Australia, Belgium, China, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Japan, The Netherlands, Russia and the UK.

Why This Course?

"The course provided a comprehensive overview of the various copyright systems and tools to analyse and understand copyright issues in the workplace."

A. Laine-Forrest, Dorling Kindersley

“An excellent outlook of copyright law on an international basis and the course materials are a quick, effective reference material in examining clients’ challenges.”

O. Agaba, Jackson ETTI & EDU

Programme Structure

The distance learning Postgraduate Diploma in UK, EU & US Copyright Law consists of three modules containing thirteen units. It will commence on 1st October 2019 and will extend over eight months leading to an examination in May 2020.

The first unit will be sent out on 1st October 2019 and subsequent units will then be issued every two weeks (with the exception of Units 2, 3 and 4) until April 2020 with a four-week break over Christmas. Questions will be set at the end of each unit and model answers to these will be sent with the unit that follows. In addition, three compulsory assignments will be set during the programme which will count towards the final mark.

Optional Weekend Seminars

As part of the Programme, you are also invited to attend three optional weekend seminars. The first will be held on 30th November/1st December 2019; the second on 8th/9th February 2020 and the third on 28th/29th March 2020. The seminars will be held in Central London.

Unit Format

The modules come in the form of hard copy print and as PDF documents via the programme website. Materials are bound together into single units with the exception of units 2, 3 and 4 (see below).

The units are designed to be largely self-contained but recommended and further reading will be suggested. As appropriate, units will contain questions and model answers to test your knowledge as you progress. As part of the programme materials, you will receive a copy of the textbook: T Aplin and J Davis, Intellectual Property Law 2nd ed (OUP, 2013). Units 2, 3 and 4 will involve studying text from within the book with additional notes that will be sent to you with the textbook at the start of unit 2.

Entry Requirements

• Applicants should hold a degree in law of a good 2nd class standard or the equivalent or a degree in a related discipline or be qualified as a barrister or a solicitor.
• Applications may also be accepted from a candidate who has achieved a comparative academic level through his or her studies and where the previous study, work or experience has made the applicant a suitable candidate.
• It is not possible to study this programme whilst you are registered for a different programme at any other institution.

English Language Requirements

• Applicants for whom English is not their mother tongue must provide evidence of having attained a level of English adequate to meet the demands of the programme. English IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all four skills or Cambridge Proficiency, rating B or Pearson Test of Academic English, overall 69 and a minimum of 62 in each individual skill.
• Alternatively, students should have a qualification from an English-speaking university.