Economics and Law of the Information Society

Lecturer:

Prof. Dr. Karl Morasch, Prof. Dr. Stefan Koos 

Workload:

150 hours; Contact hours: 24h; Self-study: 126 hours

ECTS:

5 ECTS

Module no. (Course no.):

2461 (24611)

Prerequisites:

Basic knowledge of economics and private law, as is usually acquired in a Bachelor's program with a business or economics major.

Content: 

This course deals with the economic and legal issues that have arisen from the increasing importance of electronic marketplaces and markets for information goods, such as music, films and news. It will discuss the special features of such information goods and markets with network effects, as well as suitable corporate strategies for competing in these markets. Subsequently, the use of e-commerce in business-to-business trade and electronic marketplaces for consumers (e.g. eBay) will be addressed in the context of intermediation and auction theory. From a legal perspective, the course will focus on the intellectual property regulations relevant to information goods (copyright and software patents), as well as the contractual and competition law issues of electronic commerce and the specific legal problems of cross-border electronic commerce and domain law.

Learning outcomes: 

Students will acquire knowledge of national and international legal norms relating to electronic commerce law, as well as an understanding of the economics of information goods and electronic markets. This highlights the complex interaction between institutional frameworks and economic incentives, and demonstrates the direct link between legal and economic aspects.

Assessment:

Portfolio assessment with two parts, total time 6 weeks:

  • First part: Written paper in English or German, 12 pages in length.
  • Second part: 15-minute oral presentation in English on the content of the written paper.

The written paper accounts for 80% of the assessment, the oral presentation for 20%.

Course materials:

  • Shapiro, C., Varian H. R. (1999), Information Rules. A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, Boston (MA): Harvard Business School Press.

  • Shy, O., (2001), The Economics of Network Industries, Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press.