Programme

PGP

Term

VI

Academic Year

2021-22

Course title

Rights and Business: Lights Camera Action

Area

Strategy

Credits

1.00

Instructor(s)

Prof. Anurag K Agarwal

Course Description & Objectives

Introduction: The right to do business, the right to free speech, the right to privacy, the right to equality and equal treatment, etc. are the cherished rights in most of the evolved jurisdictions. Very often, films are made depicting these rights. The impact of films on viewers is tremendous due to the visual effect leaving an impression on the mind. The business proposition of making commercially successful films may get entangled in a legal mesh if the rights as guaranteed by the law are transgressed. The interface of law and films is an interesting area of study for business students as the accessibility to films has become very easy due to technological advancements. The entertainment business – films, music, television, radio, etc. – has grown exponentially in the recent past. It has attracted businesspersons, lawyers, legislators, creative persons, etc. Though the Internet has made films easily accessible, many issues have cropped up related to films, law, and business. There are ticklish concerns like protection of intellectual property, drawing limits to free speech, defining and interpreting several terms – like acceptable language, anti-national, gender, juvenile – afresh in the changing times, etc. The course focuses on rights, business, and films. Objectives: - Provide an opportunity to business students to have an exposure to different issues related to films, rights, and the law - To make the students understand the importance of legal rights, especially free speech, in a vibrant democracy. - Make the students aware of the effectiveness of films on business, and vice-versa, in a jurisdiction committed to the rule of law.

Pedagogy

Emphasis shall be on discussion of cases, i.e., judgments delivered by different courts and tribunals. These include the Supreme Court of India, US Supreme Court, the UK Supreme Court, etc. Snippets of films shall be used. Brief lectures would be delivered to provide an overview and summarise important aspects.