Program Overview
Introduction to LAWS459 - Law and Innovation
LAWS459 - Law and Innovation is a unit that investigates how law interacts with and influences disruptive technologies. It provides an insight into the challenges and responses by domestic and international legal systems to these technologies.
Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim
The unit explores the regulatory approaches to technological development in a comparative perspective and clarifies legal and ethical questions raised by disruptive innovations. It covers topics such as digital currencies, smart contracts, artificial intelligence, genomics, and assisted reproductive technologies.
Learning Outcomes
To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:
- Describe and critically evaluate the main legal and ethical problems in the area of technological innovation
- Explain the main regulatory approaches applied to new technologies
- Apply explained regulations to real-life situations related to technological development
- Research and critically analyze the effects of technological disruptions on law, legal systems, and institutions
Unit Content
The unit covers various topics, including:
- Technological Innovation and contemporary issues in the legal profession
- Technology, Regulation, and Regulatory Theories
- Data Protection and Privacy
- Law, Technology, and Commercial Transactions
- Law, Technology, and Healthcare
- Law, Technology, and the Criminal Justice System
- Cybercrime
- Social-media and Communications
- Artificial Intelligence and Law
- Innovation and Intellectual Property Law
- International Perspectives on Investigation and Enforcement
Assessment Strategy and Rationale
The assessment strategy is designed to assess knowledge, skills, and understanding in a specialist area of law. The assessment consists of three components:
- Tutorial participation and engagement (20%)
- Video presentation on a disrupting technological innovation (40%)
- Research Essay/Take-home Exam (40%)
Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale
The unit is delivered through lectures, tutorials, electronic consultation, library tasks, and presentations. The strategy encourages students to creatively engage with unit content and practice advanced dispute resolution skills.
Representative Texts and References
- Required Text: Marcus Smith and Gregor Urbas, Technology Law: Australian and International Perspectives (1st edition, 2021, Cambridge University Press)
- Suggested Readings:
- Richard Susskind, Tomorrow's Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future (3rd edition, 2023, Oxford University Press)
- Larry A DiMatteo, Christina Poncibo, and Michel Cannarsa, The Cambridge Handbook of Artificial Intelligence (1st edition 2022, Cambridge University Press)
- Marcus Smith, Technology Law: Cases, Commentary and Materials (1st edition 2022, LexisNexis Australia)
- Roger Brownsword, Law, Technology and Society: Reimagining the Regulatory Environment (Routledge 2019)
- Roger Brownsword, Eloise Scotford, Karen Yeung The Oxford Handbook of Law, Regulation and Technology (Oxford University Press 2017)
- Andrew Murray, Information Technology Law: The Law and Society (4th edition, 2019, Oxford University Press)
Credit Points and Year
- Credit points: 10
- Year: 2026
Prerequisites
- LAWS104 Foundations of Law and Legal Research
Campus Offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.