BS481 Creating And Protecting Intellectual Property Assessment brief June 2026 | The University of Law

BS481 CPIP Assessment Brief June 2026

L7 CREATING AND PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Key Details and Requirements

Learning Outcomes:

1. Critically consider the philosophical, ethical and economic principles of intellectual property rights and how these have translated into regulatory frameworks, codes of practice and statutes around the world. 
2. Critically evaluate a company’s ability to facilitate the creation of intellectual property.
3. Understand the practical application of passing-off, trademarks, copyrights, database right, design rights and patents and compare the impact of intellectual property rights in different countries and regions.
4. Contrast the need for digital information, software, data protection and freedom of information versus the laws protecting confidential information and controlling the misuse of information technology and data. 
5. Contemplate alternatives for the creation of moral organisations and laws where intellectual property promotes economic and political justice around the world.

Assessment details: Individual Portfolio (tasks and activities accumulated over the semester), 100% (equivalent to 2,500 words)

Referencing: Students are expected to use Harvard Referencing throughout their assignments where required. Please follow the Harvard Referencing Handbook for all your assignments at the ULBS.

Submission Method: Turnitin – Your work will be put through Turnitin. All submissions will be electronically checked for plagiarism and the use of AI software. 
You have the option to upload your work ahead of the deadline, more than once. ULBS will be reviewing your last submission only. You can only upload one file. For example if your work contains a word document and power point slides/Excel spreadsheet you will need to copy your slides/spreadsheet into the word document.
Note: Keep in mind that self-plagiarism (when you reuse your own specific wording and ideas from work that you have previously submitted without referencing yourself) is also a form of plagiarism and is not allowed.

Assignment Details 

1. Class participation (10%) – contributions to discussions on each case will be tracked weekly and participation is expected in at least 7 of the 8 sessions (the seven weeks with the highest participation marks will be used). 
Individual contributions should add to case understanding and analysis in the class discussion. Students will work in groups to discuss cases prior to the whole class discussion and these group meetings should help to inform your contributions. (LO1, LO4, LO5) 

a. Students attending face-to-face campus sessions will contribute verbally during class sessions. Reasonable adjustments will be made for students with ULIPs (or for any student who is uncomfortable speaking in class). Written contributions must be made before the end of the class session. Contributions AFTER class sessions end will not be accepted for participation credit. 

b. Points will be awarded after each case discussion depending on the level of contribution:

• 0 points – no contribution made
• 1 point – a contribution is made, but is not a significant contribution to the discussion at hand. For example, it might be pointing out facts in the case or simply agreeing or disagreeing with somebody else without adding additional value. 
•  2 points – contribution displays critical thinking about the case itself or about the discussion points raised by others.
  (As the term advances, contributions with more critical thought will be expected to earn maximum points per workshop)

2.  Group presentation (20%) – This presentation will be made during the unit 4 attendance workshop, after the first self-managed week. As a group, select a real-world business and deliver a critical evaluation of how effectively it enables the creation of intellectual property (LO1, LO2).  Areas to address:
a.    Company overview.
b.    Sources (and/or potential sources) of intellectual property creation. 
c.    Existing organisational enablers of intellectual property creation which you can identify from your research of the business.
d.    Practical proposals to increases the business’ ability to facilitate the creation of intellectual property.

The presentation should be limited to 5-7 PowerPoint slides and should take no more than 15 minutes to present. Allow 5 minutes for questions at the end of the presentation.

Please upload the PowerPoint presentation slides to your portfolio on Pebblepad. 

(This aspect of your assessment is assumed to use approx. 500 words per student – there is no need for you to track this)

3.  Report (70%) – Select a real-world business, research it, and write a report including (LO3, LO4, LO5):

a.  A brief summary of the business and why you have chosen it for this report.  

b.  A strategic analysis of the business focussing on intellectual property aspects, issues and challenges both internal and external to the business.  You should use one or more strategic analysis tool(s) in your answer.

c.  Based on your strategic analysis, propose an intellectual property strategy for the business.

d.  Reflect on the strategic analysis tool (or tools) that you used and whether it was effective or could have been complemented or replaced with another one. Are there any additional intellectual property considerations that could have been highlighted using another tool?

e.  Was your strategic analysis effective in highlighting wider ethical and moral principles related to intellectual property?  Expand your analysis in these areas, as necessary.

f.    On reflection, was your chosen business a good choice to help you show that you meet the learning outcomes for this module? 

(2000 words)

(The business that you select for your report in item 3 can be any business apart from: the business you presented on in item 2 of your portfolio; or a business from a case study in the module.  You may choose a business that you work for or have worked for but be mindful of confidentiality obligations that you have towards that business – all information used in your report should be in the public domain.  Other examples you may choose are businesses with a renowned intellectual property strategy such as Dyson or ARM, or pharmaceutical companies with different intellectual property strategies such as Eli Lilly or Teva.  Or, make your own choice of a large, mid-size or smaller and lesser-known company which may give you more flexibility in your writing.  You can use a company suggested here or identify one yourself – use your own judgment.)

You will use Pebblepad to collect your portfolio items 2 and 3.
  
Please refer to the marking criteria (below) for a breakdown of how this assignment will be marked.

CPIP Assessment Criteria