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2023/2024  BA-BJURV1807U  Startup Law

English Title
Startup Law

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 75
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Commercial Law, BSc
Course coordinator
  • Pedro Telles - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
Main academic disciplines
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Business Law
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 08-02-2023

Relevant links
Learning objectives
  • Developing critical thinking skills as to devise strategic solutions for some of the most common legal challenges faced by tech-based startups.
  • Understanding how the law can shape and limit how entrepreneurs develop their business ideas.
  • Understanding common legal challenges facing tech-based startups from the perspective of a founder or in-house counsel, developing a deep business knowledge with this broad context.
  • Understanding how the legal challenges with entrepreneurship are of a global nature but require local solutions.
Examination
Startup Law:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 5 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Release of assignment The Assignment is released in Digital Exam (DE) at exam start
Duration 7 days to prepare
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The re-take can be converted to an oral exam, should the number of students allow for this.
Description of the exam procedure

Students will be assessed by a take home exercise at the end of the course. This will be an analysis of a business operating in the area of the scenario adopted for the course in this academic year. The analysis is to be carried out in accordance with a framework which will be detailed in advance and that will focus on the legal and strategic implications for the company being analysed.

 

The exam requires a good understanding of the content that is made available in class and the readings. As for content made available in class this includes both the lecture element and the content covered via the questions and groupwork that will constitute the practical element of the class.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This is a scenario-based course whereby students will be exposed to the various legal and adjacent strategic areas that affect a startup during is lifecycle. It covers areas most startups have to deal with, such as intellectual property, data protection, tax or raising finance using a scenario based approach. It is designed from the perspective of a founder who needs to anticipate legal issues that may be relevant for its startup or team members with an in-house counsel kind of role. Therefore it will require students to be analytical and curious about ambiguity.

 

It will adopt a EU perspective and will be "jurisdiction agnostic" to the extent possible. This means it will not be focusing on specific legal issues arising from a given country's national law, but applying those global connections to local communities where appropriate.

 

In addition, since tech-based startups are able to address large markets beyond the confines of national boundaries, where possible the focus will be in European and cross-border issues.

 

The course is designed in a way that makes class attendance extremely important since most of the learning is done either in class or via the preparation that is required. For students to extract maximum value from the course, it thus also requires their commitment to do work outside class be it individually or in groups. By extracting value it is meant both transferable knowledge for outside the classroom as well as maximising the chances of a good grade in the exam.
Description of the teaching methods
The course will adopt a mixed methods approach with each weekly session blending lecture and practical elements.

For the practical part of the session students will be tasked to prepare in advance, individually a set of questions based on the readings.

In addition, students will be divided into groups and each week will be tasked to do a practical exercise to be submitted on canvas. This submission will be used for the discussion in the practical part of the class.

Both the individual and group work are fundamental to maximise the chances of a good grade at the exam, in addition of the transferable skills for future professional life.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback will be provided in two different ways, both requiring work done by the students between classes.

First, via the individual work on questions set for each week. These will be addressed each week during the practical session of the class and as such provide an opportunity for students to understand if they have tackled the question correctly or where there is room for improvement.

Second, via the groupwork that is to be undertaken between classes. This is to be submitted on Canvas before the class and will be used to inform the discussions during the practical section of class.
Student workload
Participation in classes 33 hours
Preparation for classes 100 hours
Exam assignment 73 hours
Expected literature

Since the course covers multiple areas, there will be no core textbook. Instead, the course will use freely available materials, both from the CBS library and from outside sources.
Last updated on 08-02-2023