The course aims at providing students with a basic knowledge of copyright and the norms that regulate the world of entertainment, starting from the ideation phase of the intellectual product intended for the show, then moving to the production phase and finally to marketing. After a theoretical study, the student will deal with the main legal issues and the fundamental contracts adopted in the musical and audiovisual-cinematographic areas and finally in those intended for the theatre audience. Finally, students will deal with the functioning of the intermediation system of copyright and related rights, by examining the procedure adopted by authorised intermediaries (Siae and others).
teacher profile teaching materials
The first part will focus on the general principles of copyright law; the second will address the provisions applicable to specific categories of works, with particular emphasis on musical, cinematographic, and theatrical works; the third part will examine exceptions and limitations to copyright; the fourth part will consider rights related to the exercise of copyright, with particular emphasis on the rights of performing artists and performers, audiovisual producers, as well as rights in photographs and portrait rights;
the fifth part will examine the transfer of economic exploitation rights, together with the models and characteristics of the relevant contracts; finally, the sixth part of the course will address collective management and other forms of intermediation in the field of copyright.
Essential materials: Law No. 633 of 22 April 1941 ("Protection of Copyright and Other Rights Related to Its Exercise").
Additional recommended materials: Law No. 220 of 14 November 2016 ("Regulation of Cinema and Audiovisual Production").
Programme
The course programme follows the structure of the Italian Copyright Law and includes a commentary on the relevant legislation, an analysis of practical cases, and an examination of the related contractual arrangements.The first part will focus on the general principles of copyright law; the second will address the provisions applicable to specific categories of works, with particular emphasis on musical, cinematographic, and theatrical works; the third part will examine exceptions and limitations to copyright; the fourth part will consider rights related to the exercise of copyright, with particular emphasis on the rights of performing artists and performers, audiovisual producers, as well as rights in photographs and portrait rights;
the fifth part will examine the transfer of economic exploitation rights, together with the models and characteristics of the relevant contracts; finally, the sixth part of the course will address collective management and other forms of intermediation in the field of copyright.
Prerequisiti
No specific prior knowledge is required. For students with no prior knowledge of law, some preliminary background will be provided on (i) the sources of law within the Italian legal system and (ii) the Italian and European legal systems.Core Documentation
The copyright law section of the following textbook on industrial law: Auteri, Paolo; Floridia, Giorgio; Mangini, Vito Maria; Olivieri, Gustavo; Ricolfi, Marco; Romano, Rosaria; Sironi, Giulio Enrico; Spada, Paolo, "Diritto industriale. Proprietà intellettuale e concorrenza", Giappichelli, 2023 (Part VII, pp. 649–811).Essential materials: Law No. 633 of 22 April 1941 ("Protection of Copyright and Other Rights Related to Its Exercise").
Additional recommended materials: Law No. 220 of 14 November 2016 ("Regulation of Cinema and Audiovisual Production").
Attendance
Regular attendance of classes in person is strongly recommended.Type of evaluation
The examination may be either written or oral. The oral examination is reserved for attending students who take the midterm assessment during the teaching period. The written examination will consist of: (i) Ten multiple-choice questions, worth a maximum of ten points; (ii) One or two open-ended questions (e.g. a commentary on one or more provisions of the Italian Copyright Law, Law n. 633 of 1941), worth a maximum of twenty points. During the written examination, each student may consult an official version of the Italian Copyright Law, Law n. 633 of 1941, provided that it contains no comments or annotations.