Professional Ethics, Law & Intellectual Property Syllabus

UNIT – I: Professional Practice and Ethics

Ethics Fundamentals

  • Definition of Ethics
  • Professional Ethics
    • Engineering Ethics
    • Personal Ethics

Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct

  • Profession and Professionalism
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Gift vs. Bribery
  • Environmental Breaches
  • Negligence
  • Deficiencies in State-of-the-Art

Accountability & Reporting Mechanisms

  • Vigil Mechanism
  • Whistle Blowing
  • Protected Disclosures

Introduction to GST

  • Various Roles of Stakeholders in GST Framework

UNIT – II: Law of Contract

Contract – Part I

  • Nature of Contract
  • Essential Elements of a Valid Contract
  • Offer and Acceptance
  • Consideration
  • Capacity to Contract
  • Free Consent
  • Legality of Object
  • Unlawful and Illegal Agreements
  • Contingent Contracts
  • Performance and Discharge of Contracts
  • Remedies for Breach of Contract

Contract – Part II

  • Indemnity and Guarantee
  • Contract of Agency
  • Sale of Goods Act, 1930:
    • General Principles
    • Conditions and Warranties
    • Performance of Contract of Sale

UNIT – III: Arbitration, Conciliation & ADR

Arbitration Fundamentals

  • Meaning, Scope, and Types of Arbitration
  • Distinction between Arbitration Laws of 1940 and 1996
  • UNCITRAL Model Law
  • Arbitration vs. Expert Determination
  • Extent of Judicial Intervention
  • International Commercial Arbitration

UNIT – IV: Arbitration Agreements & Dispute Resolution Systems

Arbitration Agreements

  • Essentials and Kinds
  • Validity
  • Reference and Interim Measures by Court

Arbitral Tribunal

  • Appointment
  • Challenge and Jurisdiction
  • Powers of Tribunal
  • Grounds for Challenge
  • Procedure and Court Assistance

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

  • Distinction between:
    • Conciliation
    • Negotiation
    • Mediation
    • Arbitration
  • Confidentiality in ADR
  • Resort to Judicial Proceedings
  • Costs in ADR

Other Mechanisms

  • Dispute Resolution Boards
  • Lok Adalats

UNIT – V: Intellectual Property Law

Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP)

  • Meaning of Intellectual Property
  • Main Forms of IP:
    • Copyright
    • Trademarks
    • Patents
    • Designs
    • Trade Secrets
  • Historical Evolution of Copyright Act, 1957
  • Meaning of Copyright (including Computer Programs)
  • Ownership and Assignment of Copyrights
  • Criteria for Infringement
  • Internet Piracy
  • Remedies and Procedures in India

Patent Law in India

  • Governed by Patents Act, 1970
  • (Detailed coverage of patentability, application, rights, infringement, and remedies as per the Act)