CityUHK LW4641: Intellectual Property: Theory, Copyright and Design — course overview with AskSia
LW4641 Intellectual Property: Theory, Copyright and Design is a 3-credit-unit undergraduate course from the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong, offered in Semester A 2026/27 as an LLB major elective. Its sister course LW4642 covers patents and trademarks.
Sia generates LW4641 practice questions, walks through nature of copyright in the ip context and copyright works step by step, and quizzes you on the material the exam weights most heavily.
Sharpen your argument
A photographer's image is used by a company on its website without permission. The company argues the image was freely available online. Which analysis follows the course's roadmap?
The syllabus gives a roadmap from the nature of rights to effective protection: subsistence, ownership, restricted acts, permitted acts, remedies.
Profit affects remedies, not whether infringement occurred.
Copyright arises without registration; registration is the regime for designs under Cap. 522.
One exam decides 70% of your grade. 2 hours; minimum 30%; overall pass 40%. This whole page is built around that.
Overview
What LW4641 is, and where it sits
LW4641 Intellectual Property: Theory, Copyright and Design is a 3-credit-unit undergraduate course from the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong, offered in Semester A 2026/27 as an LLB major elective. Its sister course LW4642 covers patents and trademarks.
The syllabus treats copyright and design as one of the core sets of intellectual property rights, concerning the economic interests of individuals and the publishing and entertainment industries and, as a form of expression, the public. The course aims to develop the capacity to understand and apply the legal principles and rules on copyright and design protection in the HKSAR, giving a roadmap from the nature of the rights to their effective protection, and to build critical thinking and practical problem-solving in a common law context. The detailed syllabus works through the Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528), the Prevention of Copyright Piracy Ordinance (Cap. 544) and the Registered Designs Ordinance (Cap. 522) with case law.
Assessment is a 10% group research report, a 20% group presentation and a 70% two-hour final examination; a 30% minimum on the examination and a 40% overall total are required, and generative AI tools are not allowed on any task.
Always treat your own course outline and the exam timetable as authoritative.
Difficulty & time commitment
Is LW4641 hard, and how much time does it take?
LW4641 is manageable if you keep a weekly rhythm and treat the back half as the main event. The pattern is consistent: it starts gently and steepens, and the heaviest assessment is the part that separates grades.
The difficulty curve and the assessment weighting point the same way: the back half is harder and worth more. Front-loading effort there is the highest-return decision in the course.
Is this course for you
Who tends to do well, and who tends to struggle
You will likely do well if
- You read statutes section by section and can say what each subsection adds.
- You can argue both sides of an infringement problem and then decide it.
- You use Reading Week for the take-home assignment rather than as a holiday.
You may struggle if
- You revise from summaries; the exam applies the Ordinance to facts and wants the argument.
- You rely on the group items; they are 30% and the exam has its own floor.
- You draft anything with GenAI; it is prohibited on every task.
- Keep a section map of Cap. 528 and Cap. 522 with one case per key section.
- Answer every problem in the form the rubric rewards: issue, rule with section number, application to the facts, justified conclusion.
- Sit one full two-hour paper from the detailed syllabus under time before the examination.
Syllabus
The 10 topics, topic by topic
Topics from the public source. Their order is a content map, not an official weekly timetable or published exam weighting.
T1 · Nature of copyright in the IP context
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightWhat copyright protects and why, alongside patents, trademarks and designs.
T2 · Copyright works, subsistence, authorship, ownership and duration
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightCopyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) and case law on what qualifies and who owns it.
T3 · Restricted acts, infringement and permitted acts
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightThe acts reserved to the owner, primary and secondary infringement, and the exceptions.
T4 · Collective administration, presumptions, civil remedies and criminal sanctions
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightHow rights are enforced and what a court or prosecutor can do.
T5 · Moral rights and waivers
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightThe author's non-economic rights and how they are waived.
T6 · Rights in performances
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightConsent, duration, infringements, permitted acts and civil remedies for performers.
T7 · Qualification, assignment and licences
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightWho can claim copyright and how it is transferred or licensed.
T8 · Prevention of Copyright Piracy Ordinance (Cap. 544)
Detailed syllabus: CopyrightOptical disc licensing and manufacturer codes, authorised officers, criminal sanctions, seizure and forfeiture, unauthorised recording at public entertainments.
T9 · Nature of designs and registrable designs
Detailed syllabus: DesignsRegistered Designs Ordinance (Cap. 522): registrable and unregistrable designs, confidential disclosure, ownership.
T10 · Design registration, rights, infringement and remedies
Detailed syllabus: DesignsApplication, examination, registration, rights conferred, duration, revocation, infringement, government use, transfer, civil remedies; corresponding designs.
How it's assessed
Assessment structure
| Component | Weight | Format & timing |
|---|---|---|
| Group presentation research report (legal research applied in written work) | 10% | Group research report demonstrating legal research skills and analysis of the legal theories; GenAI not allowed. Around Reading Week (week 7). Group. |
| Group presentation and participation (designated topic; questions, comments, attendance) | 20% | Group presentation on a designated topic, with questions, comments and attendance assessed; GenAI not allowed. During the semester. Group. |
| Final examination (2 hours): fact-based and theoretical questions applied to real-life cases | 70% | Final examination with fact-based and theoretical questions applied to real-life cases; GenAI not allowed. Examination period. 2 hours; minimum 30%; overall pass 40%. |
- Group presentation research report 10%, group presentation 20%, final examination 70% (2 hours). To pass, students need a total of at least 40% and a minimum of 30% in the examination; the continuous-assessment pass mark is waived because the CA component is 30% or less. Generative AI tools are not allowed. Standard grades A+ to F.
- A two-hour final examination worth 70% with fact-based and theoretical questions: students must show understanding of the general theories and principles and apply them to real-life cases with sound arguments and justifications. The rubric criteria are application of law in factual and theoretical scenarios and critical thinking in essay questions. Minimum 30%.
This is an exam-cram course. With the exams at 70% of the grade and the final examination (2 hours): fact-based and theoretical questions applied to real-life cases alone at 70%, your result is overwhelmingly decided by how well you perform under time pressure. 2 hours; minimum 30%; overall pass 40%.
Final exam timing: Written examination, 2 hours, in the examination period. Confirm the exact date and venue on your exam timetable.
How to actually pass it
A weekly rhythm, two checklists, and the traps to avoid
The course rewards consistency over cramming, and practice over re-reading. Here is the loop that works, then what to have nailed before each exam.
The weekly loop
The mistakes that cost marks
Formula & concept sheet
The vocabulary and formulas you must own
- Copyright
- The exclusive right to do restricted acts with a qualifying work, arising automatically on creation.
- Subsistence
- The conditions under which copyright exists in a work.
- Restricted act
- An act, such as copying or issuing copies, reserved to the copyright owner.
- Permitted act
- A statutory exception that allows a restricted act without infringement.
- Moral right
- The author's right to be identified and to object to derogatory treatment.
- Registered design
- Protection for the appearance of a product obtained by registration under Cap. 522.
- Assignment
- The transfer of ownership of an intellectual property right.
- Licence
- Permission to do a restricted act without transfer of ownership.
Set texts
The prescribed reading
The syllabus references map straight onto these.
Clark, Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, LexisNexis, 2022
.
Where it fits
Prerequisites, related courses & why it matters
No prerequisites; 3 credit units, Level 4 LLB major elective; Semester A 2026/27. Equivalent to LW4141, LW4141A and LW5641; exclusive with LW6195E.
Your LW4641 study toolkit
Study the course with Sia, not just read about it
Use your permitted course notes with these study tools. Follow your course’s rules for AI and assessed work.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is LW4641 hard?
Moderate on the six-factor rubric, level with the HK anchor: no numbers, but 70% in one two-hour exam with a 30% floor, three ordinances of statute to master, and no GenAI anywhere.
What is the assessment breakdown?
Group research report 10%, group presentation 20%, final examination 70% (2 hours), per the 2026/27 CityU catalogue. Overall pass 40% with at least 30% on the examination.
Can I use GenAI?
No. The syllabus states that generative AI tools are not allowed on the research report, the presentation or the examination.
What legislation is covered?
The Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528), the Prevention of Copyright Piracy Ordinance (Cap. 544) and the Registered Designs Ordinance (Cap. 522), with the case law on each.
Is there a textbook?
Douglas Clark, Intellectual Property in Hong Kong (LexisNexis, 2022) is compulsory; Cornish and Llewelyn, Wong and Lee, and the IPD, WTO, WIPO and HKLII sites are additional.
How does it relate to LW4642?
LW4642 covers patents and trademarks; together the two Level 4 electives cover the main IP rights. LW4641 is equivalent to LW4141, LW4141A and LW5641 and exclusive with LW6195E.
Study LW4641 with Sia
Practise explaining the course concepts and check your reasoning. Confirm assessed-work requirements in your current outline.
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