Canada

Canadians #TalkTV: The Question Surrounding Digital Content Licensing

For the past month the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been attempting to open its policy and regulation processes to the Canadian public. On October 24, CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais launched A Conversation with Canadians with speeches and discussions at the Université Laval and Ryerson University. As Mr. Blais stated during his presentation at Ryerson, this conversation is designed to […]

IP Osgoode Speaker Series Video: Advocacy in IP Litigation in the Supreme Court

IP Osgoode would like to thank everyone who attended Justice Marshall Rothstein's lecture, titled "Advocacy in IP Litigation in the Supreme Court," on November 25, 2013 at Osgoode Hall Law School. The video of the lecture is available below.

Google's Big Score: District Court Says Book Digitization Project is Fair Use

In the latest installment of the legal saga surrounding Google's book digitization project,  Judge Denny Chin of the Southern District NY court has granted summary judgement in favour of Google, Inc. following eight years of litigation.

Canada’s IP Laws and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA): Canada Got the Short End of the Proverbial Stick

The outline of CETA has arrived – but its full text is still in transit. On what we know of the intellectual property aspects of CETA, Canada got the short end of the proverbial stick.

CETA: A Very Reasonable Canadian-esque Compromise on Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property Law Changes

At long last, the Canadian Federal Government and the European Commission announced in October that a political agreement has been reached regarding the much anticipated Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Although the full-text of the agreement has yet to be revealed, Canadians have a pretty good idea of the way in which CETA will affect […]

Shiver Me Timbers! US Court Declines to Exert Jurisdiction Over Pirate Joe's

In the past, Canada has been labeled as a pirate haven, but this is now literally true for Trader Joe’s lovers in Vancouver. 

Revenge of the Trolls: Back to Square One for Apple

“To live is to war with trolls,” said Henrik Ibsen. Well, Apple Inc (“Apple”) has recently reached an impasse in its war against patent holding firm or "patent troll" Lodsys, LLC.

No Man (or Government Entity) is Above the Law

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently released a combined opinion regarding the ability of government entities to register their official seal. The decision of In Re: City of Houston serves as a reminder of the substantial differences between Canadian and American trade-mark law.

Composing Consent: Federal Court Dismisses Pinto v BJEC

The Federal Court recently held that in the absence of a written agreement, a copyright holder could grant implied consent to the use of their work when they allowed the work to be used for the purpose for which it was commissioned. This ruling may cause concern for authors who wish to retain control of their works […]

Canadians Make Their Mark on Global Guide for Museum IP

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has updated its Guide on Managing Intellectual Property for Museums, with two Canadians playing major roles in the Guide’s creation.