Summer Term 2025

Course Content:
The course will first discuss the human rights underlying the protection of the media, especially Article 19 ICCPR and the related Recommendations and General Comments of the Human Rights Committee, as well as Article 10 ECHR and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. The course will then deal with the EU's provisions on the regulation of audiovisual media services and on internet governance. The course book will be European and International Media Law (Cambridge University Press), written by the lecturer and the only course book on that subject-matter in English. The course will be held in English. In order to follow the course, an average knowledge of the English language on high school level will be sufficient. A specific English language certificate, such as TOEFL, is not necessary.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.6453

ECTS:
2 or 6

Course Content:
European copyright law influences large parts of domestic copyright law in the EU. The course will deal with EU legislation and case-law on copyright, such as the concept of a copyright-protected 'work', the limitations of copyright and the notion of related rights. The course will pay special attention to European provisions on copyright and elated rights in the Digital Single Market, for example, concerning upload filters and the protection of press publications concerning online uses. The course book will be European and International Media Law (Cambridge University Press), written by the lecturer and the only course book on that subject-matter in English. The course will be held in English. In order to follow the course, an average knowledge of the English language on high school level will be sufficient. A specific English language certificate, such as TOEFL, is not necessary.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.6434

ECTS:
1 or 4

Course Content:
Introduction to Patent Law, in particular the new unitary patent system based on the European Patent Convention, Unitary Patent Regulation and Unitary Patent Court Agreement. General knowledge on IP-law is useful, but no previous course on patent law required. Max 25 participants.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.6411

ECTS:
1 or 4

Course Content:
Digital platforms such as Amazon and Airbnb are playing an increasingly important role as intermediaries in digital markets. The rise of the platform economy raises numerous new legal issues that touch on different areas of law. The new field of “platform law” is therefore a multidisciplinary topic. The spectrum of topics ranges from contract and consumer law to antitrust and unfair competition law, as well as complaint management on online platforms. The main focus of this course is on the three central European legal acts governing the platform economy: the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act and the P2B Regulation.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.6166

ECTS:
2 SWS

Course Content:

Personal data form the basis for a wide range of business models. Data protection law has therefore become a cross-sectional subject that is relevant for practically all areas of digitalization. Without basic knowledge of data protection law, it is almost impossible to work as a lawyer in practice today. The lecture offers an introduction to the fundamentals of data protection law and an overview of current issues.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.6169

ECTS:
1 SWS

Course Content:
Algorithmic decision-making systems (ADM systems) are playing an increasingly important role in many areas of life. In particular, in the case of AI-controlled autonomous systems – for example in agricultural robotics or in self-driving cars – the question arises as to who is liable for any damage caused by the use of such systems. The lecture offers an introduction to this topic, which is particularly important for legal science and practice

Term:
Summer

Course Number:
10.6168

ECTS:
1 SWS

Business Law (English-US)

Course Content:
This course will cover a variety of business law topics including: business associations types and employment law.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.822

ECTS:
6

Course Content:
Companies are legally created entities that play important roles economically, societally, and environmentally. This course explores the creation of different types of companies and other business structures and examines the governing laws. In particular, it looks at the vast Companies Act 2006, its legal background throughout the 20th Century and its core provisions. In the later part of the course, the often-contentious role of the company is looked at in a broader context. Human rights, criminality, fraud and environmental issues are all considered as areas where companies have been found to behave in illegal and irresponsible ways. To address this, corporate governance is explored as playing a vital role in good commercial practice.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.862

ECTS:
6

Course Content:
This course will provide students with an overview of several areas of American law. The first 1/3 of the course is devoted to U.S. Constitutional Law. The remainder of the course aims to expand legal English and basic knowledge in the following areas of law: business, criminal, tort, contract, property, employment, and family.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.821

ECTS:
8

Course Content:
This course considers several fields of English law such as criminal law, equity and trusts, property ownership (land law), contract law and the law of tort. Each field will be covered over the course of several sessions. Students will be introduced to the relevant statutes and cases which have developed the law and will learn how to understand and apply the law in the different fields. This will serve as a foundation for later FFA courses.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.861

ECTS:
8

English UK: Advanced Course

Course Content:
Intellectual property is one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of law because of its attachment to technology and creative culture. This course considers two of the intellectual property regimes in the context of the UK: copyright and trademarks. It firstly looks at how we theorise the granting of property rights to intangible goods, and then moves on to look at copyright law as applied to literary, dramatic, artistic and musical works. In doing so, it explores the differing standards of originality in the UK and EU, and the ongoing legal tension in this area created by Brexit. In the second part of the course, the content moves to the ever-expanding area of trademarks. It covers the requirements for registration in relation to infringement claims but also explores how and why the law has developed to protect the vital role that trademarks play in commerce and advertising.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.823

ECTS:
6

Course Content:
The topic of the course will change depending on who is teaching it. Past courses have included: Law & Literature, Criminal Procedure and Advanced Tort Law.

This semester we will be offering a course in US IP Law.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.823

ECTS:
6

Course Content:
The lecture is primarily intended for students from abroad and is held in English. The main areas of German law (civil law, criminal law, public law) will be presented, basic structures will be outlined and, where appropriate, cases will be solved and comparisons with the participants' home jurisdictions will be discussed.

Term:
Winter and Summer Term

Course Number:
10.6162

ECTS:
2 or 6

Course Content:
The course is intended to provide a concise overview on Intellectual Property Law. The main focus is on the function of IP in an innovation-driven modern market economy. This requires knowledge of the great variety of intellectual property rights provided, a comparison of their advantages and disadvantages and access to the relevant legal sources. The focus lies on the possibilities and risks of commercial exploitation.

Term:
Summer Term

ECTS:
2 SWS

Written exam as proof of foreign language competence

Course Content:
The aim of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the structure of American government and the individual rights enjoyed by people living in the United States. The course will be taught through the lens of current events, including how the German the press sometimes looks at these issues.

Term:
Summer Term

Course Number:
10.471

ECTS:
6