There is much ado these days about fake news. Some find it entertaining. Others find it dangerous. Neither can claim that it has been positive or educational. We can learn a thing or two about fake news that lightens the heart and enlightens the mind from the politician A.P. Herbert.
Innovation is, once again, a topic of great concern for Canadian policy makers and the commentariat. And for good reason. Yet, at a time when (mainly foreign) companies – notably Alphabet (Google), Apple, Tesla, Amazon, and Facebook – are lauded as being the ‘world’s most innovative’ (for example, see FastCompany and the Boston Consulting Group) […]
If we are going to be fair, the cryptocurrency idea dates back to almost forty years ago. In an article published in the Wall Street Journal on August 19, 1977, Friedrich Hayek — the economist and philosopher whose work on a theory of money earned him a Nobel Prize — anticipated that many different types […]
Although there is no shortage of counterfeit products on the market, it is not everyday that a high fashion designer sues your local flea market. Recently, Louis Vuitton reportedly filed a lawsuit against Dr. Flea’s Flea Market for intentionally selling a handbag that was evidently in violation of Canadian trademark and copyright laws.
The re-posting of this comment is part of a cross-posting collaboration with MediaLaws: Law and Policy of the Media in a Comparative Perspective. On 18 May 2017, the European Commission fined €110 million Facebook for providing misleading information during the 2014 takeover of WhatsApp in case COMP/M.7217. Calling it a “proportionate and deterrent fine”, the […]
The deadline to submit an entry for the 9th annual Canada’s IP Writing Challenge is just over a month away on Saturday July 1, 2017! The winner from each category will receive a prize of $1000 (CAD), publication on the IP Osgoode website, and consideration for publication in the Canadian Intellectual Property Review and/or the […]
This is a repost of Prof. Giuseppina D'Agostino's blog dated July 5, 2016. IP Osgoode is delighted to congratulate Professor David Vaver on being inducted into the Order of Canada. Professor Vaver was acknowledged, on the eve of Canada Day on July 1, “for his leadership in intellectual property law as a scholar and mentor”.
This year’s World Intellectual Property Day theme is focused on the role that IP rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity and how the IP system supports innovation. At Osgoode Hall Law School, one of the ways we strive to foster innovation is through our Innovation Clinic, a student-focused initiative that assists start-up companies, entrepreneurs […]
Osgoode Hall Law School’s mooting team recently returned from the University of Oxford, UK, where they competed in the annual Oxford International Intellectual Property Moot. They achieved the highest preliminary round score and made the quarter-finals, losing to the eventual champion of the competition: Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Germany. The quartet of Jordan Fine, Alicja […]
What’s in a name? In the craft beer industry, evidently, a lot. As craft beer’s popularity rises in North America, new breweries and tasty beers are popping up around the continent. But so are numerous legal claims over trademark infringement. Breweries often opt for pun-based brand names, and legal disputes are increasing as these puns […]