LAW4342 Patents and trade marks
Faculty of Law
LAW4342 Patents and trade marks is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Law, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- Exam 55%
- and 1 other task
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before LAW4342
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After LAW4342
No unit lists LAW4342 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must have completed at least 60 credit points of law study.
Overview
This unit involves a detailed consideration of patent law, trade mark law and, to a lesser extent, the law of unfair competition. Students will be required to comprehend the development of patent law over time and analyse patent specifications and claims. They will also examine trade mark law and critically consider trade mark law principles and policies.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- AssignmentWritten45%
- Take home examExamination55%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Interpret patent specifications and claims in the context of and simultaneous application of patent law.
- 2
Understand and identify the policies behind patent law developments and recognise those policies in the context of Australian patent case law and legislation.
- 3
Identify and critically evaluate the likelihood of any factual scenario involving contravention of the rights of patent and trade mark owners.
- 4
Recognise the fundamental nature of trade marks and the means by which their legal protection operates in a sophisticated commercial environment.
- 5
Both analyse and apply patent and trade mark legislation and case law so as to provide advice to owners and users of patents and trademark.
- 6
Undertake a critical evaluation of the place of patent and trade mark law in a commercial environment and in the space of government regulatory activity that may conflict with the exploitation of that intellectual property.
Workload and teaching
- Seminars36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
Learning resources
Required resources
See the Moodle unit page for prescribed and recommended resources. Prescribed texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Tyrone Berger
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for LAW4342?
LAW4342 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is LAW4342 offered?
In 2025, LAW4342 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is LAW4342?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does LAW4342 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 55% of the final mark, alongside 1 other task.