01260209 - Current Issues in Business Law

The course will deal with some hot topics concerning tech law, with particular reference to Eu law and American law.
In particular, it will focus on the regulation of the sharing economy, freedom of expression on the internet, the law of the surveillance state, blockchain and smart contracts.
Across the different topics, the course aims at going beyond the description of existing law and case-law, in order to encourage critical reflection and discussion on what is the most preferable approach that the law should follow in dealing with the current technological revolution.

The main goal is to foster the ability of students to engage in a critical analysis of existing and proposed regulations in the tech field, applying what they will learn in the areas covered to all other areas of tech law.

The comparative approach will help in this endeavor, helping to appreciate the relativity of regulatory approaches.
The take-home exam will be geared towards assessing this ability. It will consist in an essay question, where students will be asked to comment on some excerpts of case-law and/or legal scholarship, making reference to the materials assigned and discussed in class.

3 credits or 1.5 US credits