LLB249 Introduction to Technology Law
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | LLB249 |
|---|---|
| Assumed Knowledge: | LLB344 Intellectual Property Law is assumed knowledge |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $2,124 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $1,663 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,204 |
| International unit fee | $4,368 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2025, Gardens Point, Internal
| Unit code: | LLB249 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Coordinator: | Michael Guihot | michael.guihot@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Welcome to an Introduction to Technology Law, a course designed to provide you with a foundational understanding of the complex relationship between technology and law.
Students will explore the historical context in which law has responded to new and emerging technologies. You will examine how technology impacts various aspects of society and how legal professionals can navigate these challenges. Special emphasis will be placed on the ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions of technology, including issues related to AI, Big Data, privacy, security, and safety.
LLB249 also addresses the complexities of international technology regulation, highlighting the need for innovative legal and regulatory approaches in the face of rapid technological advancements. This unit also serves as a foundational platform for the Law, Technology, and Innovation minor, equipping you with essential knowledge and skills to address technology-related challenges in your legal career.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain the historical responses of law and regulation to the emergence of new technologies, identifying key challenges and opportunities. (CLOs 1.1, 1.3, 1.5)
- Analyse the societal impacts of new and emerging technologies, and assess the strategies that legal professionals can undertake to address these impacts effectively. (CLOs 1.3, 2.3)
- Research and evaluate legal risks and regulatory challenges associated with the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. (CLOs 2.1, 3.1, 3.2)
- Critically assess the suitability and relevance of various regulatory approaches in the context of new technologies, taking into account societal and legal norms. (CLOs 2.3, 5.1)
- Communicate clear and actionable recommendations for adopting cutting-edge technologies to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. (CLO 4.1)
Content
In this unit, you will learn about:
- The historical evolution of technology and its societal impact, legal implications, and ethical considerations
- The role of law and regulation in adapting to technological advancements
- Foundations of machine learning, AI, networks, platforms and code
- Applying ethical prompting skills in the context of generative AI
- An introduction to data privacy and physical privacy
- An introduction to intellectual property rights in technology
- An introduction to platform power and the gig economy
- Global perspectives on technology law and legal challenges in cross-border technology issues
- How legal professionals can advocate for technology-related policies and how policy initiatives can shape technology law
- Anticipating future legal challenges in technology law and exploring how you might respond in your future legal career
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online and face to face self-led learning practice and tutorials where you will learn from experts and your peers. Prior to the tutorials, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts, formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online materials
- Discussions on Canvas and in live and online workshops
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understanding
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises conducted in workshops online
- comments on your assessment in addition to criteria sheets
- criteria sheet grading
- general comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas, and
- the option of private consultation with a member of the teaching team during student consultation.
Assessment
Overview
This assessment item evaluates students' ability to engage with generative AI technology, assess its capabilities, and critically analyse the quality of generated content
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Critical Analysis of AI Generated Technology Question and Answer
This assessment item evaluates your ability to engage with generative AI technology, assess its capabilities, and critically analyse the quality of generated content. A law firm is considering using Generative AI to assist with researching responses of law and regulation to new technologies. Acting as a legal consultant, you will ask a Generative AI tool to produce a research question for an analysis of the historical responses of law and regulation to new technologies. You will then prompt the Generative AI tool to list challenges and opportunities of these responses. You produce a written reflection on this process to critically analyse the quality of the generated content (including any biases, ethical or social considerations), the effectiveness of your prompting strategies and the opportunities and challenges of adopting generative AI for identifying legal responses.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Technology Law Case Study and Analysis
This assessment item assesses your ability to apply your understanding of technology law concepts to real-world scenarios. Acting as legal consultant, you will conduct a case study of a cutting edge-technology of your choice that a government or community agency is considering adopting. You will research and evaluate the legal risks and regulatory challenges of adopting this technology, assess the suitability and relevance of various regulatory approaches and make clear recommendations for adopting this technology.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Michael Guihot and Lyria Bennett Moses, Artificial Intelligence, Robots and the Law, (LexisNexis, Chatswood, 2020).
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2025, Online
| Unit code: | LLB249 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
Overview
Welcome to an Introduction to Technology Law, a course designed to provide you with a foundational understanding of the complex relationship between technology and law.
Students will explore the historical context in which law has responded to new and emerging technologies. You will examine how technology impacts various aspects of society and how legal professionals can navigate these challenges. Special emphasis will be placed on the ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions of technology, including issues related to AI, Big Data, privacy, security, and safety.
LLB249 also addresses the complexities of international technology regulation, highlighting the need for innovative legal and regulatory approaches in the face of rapid technological advancements. This unit also serves as a foundational platform for the Law, Technology, and Innovation minor, equipping you with essential knowledge and skills to address technology-related challenges in your legal career.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain the historical responses of law and regulation to the emergence of new technologies, identifying key challenges and opportunities. (CLOs 1.1, 1.3, 1.5)
- Analyse the societal impacts of new and emerging technologies, and assess the strategies that legal professionals can undertake to address these impacts effectively. (CLOs 1.3, 2.3)
- Research and evaluate legal risks and regulatory challenges associated with the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. (CLOs 2.1, 3.1, 3.2)
- Critically assess the suitability and relevance of various regulatory approaches in the context of new technologies, taking into account societal and legal norms. (CLOs 2.3, 5.1)
- Communicate clear and actionable recommendations for adopting cutting-edge technologies to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. (CLO 4.1)
Content
In this unit, you will learn about:
- The historical evolution of technology and its societal impact, legal implications, and ethical considerations
- The role of law and regulation in adapting to technological advancements
- Foundations of machine learning, AI, networks, platforms and code
- Applying ethical prompting skills in the context of generative AI
- An introduction to data privacy and physical privacy
- An introduction to intellectual property rights in technology
- An introduction to platform power and the gig economy
- Global perspectives on technology law and legal challenges in cross-border technology issues
- How legal professionals can advocate for technology-related policies and how policy initiatives can shape technology law
- Anticipating future legal challenges in technology law and exploring how you might respond in your future legal career
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online and face to face self-led learning practice and tutorials where you will learn from experts and your peers. Prior to the tutorials, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts, formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online materials
- Discussions on Canvas and in live and online workshops
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understanding
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises conducted in workshops online
- comments on your assessment in addition to criteria sheets
- criteria sheet grading
- general comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas, and
- the option of private consultation with a member of the teaching team during student consultation.
Assessment
Overview
This assessment item evaluates students' ability to engage with generative AI technology, assess its capabilities, and critically analyse the quality of generated content
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Critical Analysis of AI Generated Technology Question and Answer
This assessment item evaluates your ability to engage with generative AI technology, assess its capabilities, and critically analyse the quality of generated content. A law firm is considering using Generative AI to assist with researching responses of law and regulation to new technologies. Acting as a legal consultant, you will ask a Generative AI tool to produce a research question for an analysis of the historical responses of law and regulation to new technologies. You will then prompt the Generative AI tool to list challenges and opportunities of these responses. You produce a written reflection on this process to critically analyse the quality of the generated content (including any biases, ethical or social considerations), the effectiveness of your prompting strategies and the opportunities and challenges of adopting generative AI for identifying legal responses.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Technology Law Case Study and Analysis
This assessment item assesses your ability to apply your understanding of technology law concepts to real-world scenarios. Acting as legal consultant, you will conduct a case study of a cutting edge-technology of your choice that a government or community agency is considering adopting. You will research and evaluate the legal risks and regulatory challenges of adopting this technology, assess the suitability and relevance of various regulatory approaches and make clear recommendations for adopting this technology.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Michael Guihot and Lyria Bennett Moses, Artificial Intelligence, Robots and the Law, (LexisNexis, Chatswood, 2020).
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.