BCO125 BUSINESS LAW –Final Task & Rubrics
Description:
• Individual written task.
• Questions answered in order, numbered and in essay format. No bullet points.
• Answer the following questions in a single document using the information given to you throughout the course and additional

research.
• Your answers are to be based on laws in the USA.
• You must research and find the laws or regulations that correspond to the questions that you are answering from the USA.
• Remember to use Harvard citations in the document. Use in-text citations to indicate your sources.

Case study
Carrie opens a small coffee shop in a small Colorado town and names it “Grounds” with the slogan “Green to Brown we roast it down”.
Mark owns a large commercial landscaping business in Los Angeles also named “Grounds” with the slogan “Green or Brown we cut it
down”. Mark’s company has been around for six years, while Carrie’s business just opened. Both companies claim trademark to this
name, and copyright of their slogans but neither have registered the name or the slogan. One day when Googling his company, Mark
discovers Carrie’s business, he immediately writes a letter to her telling her to change her name and slogan, but she never answers his
letter. A few weeks later Mark sues her for trademark and copyright infringement in California.

1. Identify what is a Trademark and what legal protection it gives the owner? Cite your source.
2. Identify and analyse what Mark must prove to win a a Trademark infringement case? Cite the law and provide a legal case as an

example.
3. Identify and analyse what is the likely legal outcome between Carrie and Mark in a Trademark infringement case? Cite a legal case in

support of your position.
4. Identify what is a copyright and what legal protection it gives the owner? Cite your source.
5. Identify and analyse what Mark must prove to win a copyright violation case? Cite the law and provide a legal case as an example.
6. Identify and analyse what is the likely legal outcome between Carrie and Mark in a copyright infringement case? Cite a legal case in

support of your position.
Formalities:

• Word count: 1000 to 1500
• PDF Format
• Cover page, Table of Contents, References and Appendix are excluded of the total word count.
• Font: Arial 11 pts.
• Text alignment: Justified.
• You are encouraged to quote laws, regulations, relevant publications, such as academic journals and books, case studies or

business reports to support your arguments.
• To find relevant publications, you may browse through EBSCO (link is on Moodle) and/or Google Scholar, where you will find

access to many publications.
• The in-text References and the Bibliography must be in Harvard’s citation style.

Submission: Week 13 – Via Moodle (Turnitin). Submission is due Week 13, 9 May 2021 before 23:59 (Barcelona’s time).

Weight: This task is a 40% of your total grade for this subject.

Outcomes: This task assesses the following learning outcomes:
• Understand the role of intellectual property.
• Identify different issues and laws applicable to trademark and copyright infringement.
• Examine the different legal approaches used to protect trademark and copyright rights.

Rubrics
Exceptional

90-100
Good
80-89

Fair
70-79

Marginal fail
60-69

Identification
of main Issues/

Problems

25%

Identifies and demonstrates
a sophisticated
understanding of the main
issues / problems in the
case study

Identifies and demonstrates
an accomplished
understanding of most of the
issues/problems.

Identifies and demonstrates
acceptable understanding of
some of the issues/problems
in the case study

Does not identify or
demonstrate an acceptable
understanding of the issues/
problems in the case study

Analysis and
Evaluation of

Issues /
Problems

25%

Presents an insightful and
thorough analysis of all
identified issues/problems

Presents a thorough analysis
of most of the issues
identified.

Presents a superficial
analysis of some of the
identified issues.

Presents an incomplete
analysis of the identified
issues.

Development
of Ideas

and Opinions

25%

Supports diagnosis and
opinions with strong
arguments and well-
documented evidence;
presents a balanced and
critical view;
interpretation is both
reasonable and
objective.

Supports diagnosis and
opinions with limited
reasoning and evidence;
presents a somewhat one-
sided argument; demonstrates
little engagement with ideas
presented

Little action suggested
and/or inappropriate
solutions proposed to the
issues in the case study.

No action suggested and/or
inappropriate solutions
proposed to the issues in the
case study

Link to Legal
Theories and

Additional
Research

25%

Makes appropriate and
powerful connections
between identified issues/
problems and strategic
concepts studied in the
course readings and
lectures; supplements legal
cases with relevant and
thoughtful research and
cites all sources of
information

Makes appropriate but
somewhat vague connections
between identified issues/
problems and concepts
studied in readings and
lectures; demonstrates
limited command of the
analytical tools studied;
supplements legal cases with
limited research.

Makes inappropriate or little
connection between issues
identified and the concepts
studied in the readings;
supplements case study, if at
all, with incomplete research
and documentation.

Makes no connection between
issues identified and the
concepts studied in the
readings; supplements case
study, if at all, with
incomplete research and
documentation.