This course aims to familiarise students with the legal and ethical context of new information and communication technologies. At the end of this course, students will be able to
- analyse technological resources with a critical and constructive eye;
- apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations in the digital context;
- develop a sense of empirical analysis by studying the different models proposed by the digital economy and the legal issues they raise;
- work and reflect in groups;
- become familiar with the language and reasoning of experts (lawyers, computer scientists, etc.);
- make connections between legal and non-legal thinking;
- developing personal reflections and arguing to defend one's point of view.
The objective of the course is to make students aware of some fundamental issues of ICT, so that they acquire the necessary reflexes to implement the law in a technological environment. In this context, the course focuses on the following two main themes:
- Knowledge of mechanisms and rules of law specific to the digital environment;
- Reflection on the application of legal rules to innovative contexts.
After a brief general introduction to the law and the Belgian legal system, the course will address the essential subjects of ICT law, notably:
- The right to privacy and its implications on the construction of computer systems and on data processing (protection of personal data, cybersurveillance of workers,...);
- Intellectual property in the digital age (overview of different rights, copyright, special regimes applicable to software and databases, trademark law, protection of domain names, etc.);
- Digital services law (online advertising, electronic contracting, contracts with cloud providers, smart contracts and blockchain, evidence in the digital world, responsibilities in the digital world,...);
- Law and Ethics
The course is likely to evolve according to the current events and the reflections proposed by the students.
Unsupervised exercises are organised as part of this course. They are corrected collectively during the following lecture.
Subject matter covered by the assessment: The assessment covers all the material covered in the course.
Nature of assessment: Oral examination
Characteristics of the assessment: The student may bring along all the legislative texts studied in the course. These may of course be highlighted, but may not be annotated (only article-to-article references are permitted). Post-it notes are allowed as long as they do not contain any indications (except for the title of the legislation). Case law and other documents used in the course may not be taken along to the examination.
The examination takes the form of a questionnaire containing a case study and two open questions. The student has fifteen minutes to prepare his/her answers. The student then presents his/her answers for 15 minutes. Additional questions may be asked, requiring a response without preparation.
H. Jacquemin et T. Tombal (coord.), Chronique de jurisprudence en droits des technologies de l’information: 2018-2020, numéros spéciaux de la R.D.T.I., nos 82-83, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2021 (spécialement les Titres “Contrats de l’informatique et commerce électronique” ; “Droits intellectuels” et “Droit au respect de la vie privée et à la protection des données en lien avec les technologies de l’information”).
| Training | Study programme | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Computer Science | Standard | 0 | 5 | |
| Bachelor in Computer Science | Standard | 2 | 5 |