IMRO and the Law Society of Ireland are proud to announce the appointment of Dr Mark Hyland as the inaugural IMRO Adjunct Professor of Intellectual Property Law.
In response to the fast-changing digital landscape and the inevitable ongoing effects on copyright law and practice, IMRO has partnered with the Law Society of Ireland to create the IMRO adjunct Professorship of Intellectual Property (IP) Law. This position will be a key resource to the Law Society in broadening the knowledge base of trainee and qualified solicitors in the expanding area of IP and copyright law. The expectation is that a solid grounding in this field of law will entice a new generation of lawyers into the music and entertainment industries.
Dr Hyland is a lecturer in International Intellectual Property Law at Bangor University Law School, Wales. His current research focuses on two main themes: website-blocking injunctions in an IP context and, how geolocation/geo-blocking technologies can be used to facilitate the territorial licensing of digital copyright works.
Dr Hyland said “In my role as IMRO adjunct Professor of IP Law, my aim is not only to help educate the country’s legal professionals and entertainers, but also contribute to the national conversation on IP and copyright issues.”
“As well as being immensely important work which makes a huge contribution to the economy, IP is a very fulfilling and interesting field of practice. I look forward to helping educate solicitors as well as Ireland’s songwriters, composers and music publishers on IP and copyright law.”
The professor’s expertise will be used to contribute to IP modules at the Law Society’s Law School and the newly appointed professor will deliver an IMRO annual lecture (currently planned for spring 2020). He will be involved in course design and teaching for the Law Society’s Professional Practice, Diploma and Continuing Professional Development courses.
Chair of IMRO, singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy said, “We are delighted to partner with the Law Society of Ireland on this important new initiative. IMRO is continually working on behalf of its membership to protect and promote strong copyright legislation in Ireland and beyond. This new alliance will further support our policy of working in collaboration with a wide range of industry groups and associations to the benefit of not only our own members but the economy in general.”
Director of Education at the Law Society T.P Kennedy says; “We are delighted to welcome Dr Hyland to Blackhall Place as an adjunct professor. He will make a valuable contribution to the Law Society’s teaching of Intellectual Property Law, our Diploma in Technology and IP Law and our suite of Continuing Professional Development courses.”
“IP is a growing area of practice because of the tech companies that have set up their headquarters in Dublin. IMRO’s work in protecting the rights of Irish composers, authors and songwriters is being achieved in conjunction with solicitors and barristers. It is lawyers who are spearheading the implementation of these rights and therefore we need to train up the next generation of graduates.”
About Dr Mark Hyland
Dr Mark Hyland is a lecturer in International Intellectual Property Law at Bangor University Law School, Wales. He has a particular interest in Copyright Law. He also has a strong interest in the interface between Intellectual Property Law and related fields such as Information Technology Law and, Competition Law. Besides International Intellectual Property Law, Dr Hyland also teaches Competition Law and International Banking Law at Bangor Law School. He is co-director of the Bangor Centre for International Law and, in 2016, was awarded a Bangor University Teaching Fellowship.
Dr Hyland was awarded his PhD by Newcastle University in 2014 for a thesis that critically evaluates the application of the tort Private International Law rules to the internet, using online copyright infringements as a case study.
His current research focuses on the use of website-blocking injunctions in an IP context. He analyses such injunctions through two prisms: effectiveness and legitimacy. Separately, he is also looking at how geolocation and geo-blocking technologies can be used to facilitate the territorial licensing of digital copyright works. Dr Hyland’s research will examine possible tensions (in the specific context of digital copyright content) between two important EU laws: the Geo-blocking Regulation and the Portability Regulation. Both these Regulations came into force last year.
Dr Hyland is a qualified solicitor and, from time to time, contributes articles on EU IP/IT Law developments to the Eurlegal section of the Law Society Gazette.
About the Law Society of Ireland
The Law Society of Ireland is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors’ profession in Ireland. The Law Society exercises statutory functions under the Solicitors Acts 1954 to 2011 in relation to the education, admission, enrolment, discipline and regulation of the solicitors’ profession. It is the professional body for its solicitor members, to whom it also provides services and support. The headquarters of the organisation are in Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.
