Intellectual Property Law

National Level Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights

International Level Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights

Technology, Business and Law

Electronic Commerce

Privacy, Marketing and Data Protection in E-Commerce Operations

Consumer Protection Law in the Digital Commerce

Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

The first assessment element requires students to engage in a simulated advisory meeting using an AI-based conversational tool. The focus is on applied legal reasoning, critical engagement with AI outputs, and the integration of intellectual property, e-commerce, and data protection law in a practical business scenario.

The second assessment will be a one-and-a-half-hour written examination, designed to assess both the theoretical and practical aspects of intellectual property law, data protection law and e-commerce law. Students will be provided with a choice of questions, comprising a combination of essay-type and scenario-based questions.

This module adopts a blended learning strategy designed to support students in achieving the stated learning outcomes through a total of 300 hours of learning activity. This comprises 60 hours of tutor-led contact time and 240 hours of directed, guided, and independent study, including preparation for assessments.

Students are expected to dedicate approximately 6–10 hours per week to independent learning activities, including essential reading, preparation for workshops, consolidation of lecture content, engagement with formative assessment tasks, and the use of digital and AI-based legal research tools. The remaining non-contact hours are allocated to structured assessment preparation, including participation in formative exercises and the review of feedback provided following the mock examination.

Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures and small-group workshops. Lectures introduce and explain the Sri Lankan and selected international legal frameworks governing intellectual property, electronic commerce, data protection, and technology-driven commercial activity. These sessions are interactive and incorporate questioning, guided discussion, and demonstrations of appropriate AI tools used in contemporary legal practice.

Workshops are designed to consolidate understanding and promote the application of legal principles to realistic digital commerce and technology-related scenarios. Through problem-based learning activities, students develop reasoned legal responses to both established and emerging issues, fostering awareness of uncertainty, regulatory gaps, and the evolving nature of commercial and digital law.

This learning strategy directly prepares students for the AI-assisted simulation by developing advanced analytical capability, research proficiency, digital literacy, and professional communication skills, while also preparing them for the written examination by reinforcing doctrinal understanding and applied problem-solving through continuous engagement, structured practice, and formative feedback.

1. Describe and analyse the principles and application of intellectual property, e-commerce, and digital commercial law within national and international legal frameworks.

Knowledge and understanding
Communication
Digital literacy

2. Apply relevant legal frameworks to practical business scenarios, including intellectual property enforcement, electronic transactions, data protection, and consumer protection.

Application and problem solving
Knowledge and understanding

3. Critically evaluate emerging legal challenges in technology-driven commerce, including artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, character merchandising, cybersquatting, and online platform regulation.

Critical reasoning and collaboration

4. Formulate and justify appropriate legal solutions and regulatory strategies to address disputes, ethical issues, and regulatory gaps in contemporary commercial and digital law.

Application and problem solving

Legal databases with access to statute and case law

Dobrusin EM, Aleksynas DP and Pursley KL, Intellectual Property Culture (LexisNexis 2023)

Christie A, Blackstone’s Statutes on Intellectual Property (Oxford University Press 2023)

Brown A and others, Contemporary Intellectual Property (Oxford University Press 2023)

Aplin T and Davis J, Intellectual Property Law: Text, Cases, and Materials (4th edn., Oxford University Press 2021)

Karunaratna DM, Elements of the Law of Intellectual Property in Sri Lanka (Sarasavi Publishers 2010)

Caton JL, The Economics of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (Edward Elgar Publishing 2022)

Qin Z and others, Introduction to E-Commerce (Springer Nature Singapore 2024)

Note: The editions shown above are the most recent at time of writing but students should use the most recent edition at time of study.

This module offers an in-depth exploration of the legal frameworks governing intellectual property, electronic commerce, and emerging technologies in modern commercial practice. It focuses on the application and enforcement of national and international legal principles relating to intellectual property rights, digital transactions, consumer protection, and technology-driven business models.

The module is particularly valuable for junior lawyers and aspiring legal practitioners, as it develops practical insight into advising clients, managing commercial risk, and resolving disputes in fast-evolving digital environments. You are also introduced to the effective and ethical use of artificial intelligence tools to support legal research, analysis, and professional decision-making, reflecting the realities of contemporary legal practice.

If you are intending to sit the Bar examination, this module offers a significant advantage, as the Sri Lanka Law College requires candidates to pass both Intellectual Property and E-commerce in order to obtain the Attorney-at-Law qualification.