Jerry Agar—host of the “Jerry Agar Show” on Newstalk 1010 radio—opened his IP Osgoode Speaks Series talk with an admission that he did not care about us. Following the fleeting moment where he (clearly in jest) cast immediate discouragement onto his own audience, he clarified his statement: the default position for Agar—and media gatekeepers, generally—is […]
The Event Over the course of three days in early February 2016, IP Osgoode played host to the Orphan Works Licencing Portal Hackathon, a multidisciplinary and international event that resulted in a memorable proposal for an “Orphan Hunter.” While that may sound more like a discarded Stephen King draft than a solution to an important […]
2015 was an eventful year in intellectual property (IP) law worldwide. Canada in particular saw a lot of activity across all three major areas of IP in both legislation and jurisprudence. Topping the IP news charts was the proposed ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): a wide-ranging international deal negotiated by twelve nations, including Canada.
Although intellectual property (IP) law adequately protects many forms of IP, the coming commercialization of cheap 3D printers may facilitate new means of mass pirating that existing law cannot prevent. Though legal reform is the common strategy used to deal with IP challenges, the efforts of IP owners might be better spent finding new ways to monetize […]
Happy new year! IP Osgoode is happy to be kicking off 2016 with a dynamic series of events and activities. Adding to this excitement is the fantastic news about The Honourable Mr. Rothstein’s appointment as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School (OHLS). Mr. Rothstein will be involved with some our activities and […]
The granting of a patent has often been described as a bargain [1] between the government and the patentee. In exchange for the exclusive right [2] to make, construct, use and sell their invention, the inventor will disclose the details of their discovery and, upon the patent's expiry, the invention will be made available to […]
Political attack ads are a Canadian electoral staple, compressing incriminating, damning and provoking footage into 30-second media bites. Typically, the subject matter is harvested from archived footage of the target captured under the media’s ever-watchful lens. Political parties have freely taken to exploiting news materials without the consent of originating news agencies. Broadcasters strongly condemn […]
The emergence of Chinese brands has become a global phenomenon. Not only are there exports to and local marketing within the Chinese diaspora and later generations, but Western businesses are also merging with and acquiring Chinese businesses and Western trademarks are engaging in brand extension or cross-branding with Chinese mark owners. In doing so, unexpected […]
IP Osgoode would like to thank everyone who attended Dr. Matthew Rimmer’s lecture entitled “The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Copyright Law, the Creative Industries, and Internet Freedom” on October 8, 2015 at Osgoode Hall Law School. The audio-recording of the lecture is available here. To read the IPilogue's blog and commentary about the lecture, click here.
On October 6, 2015, the European Court of Justice declared that the Safe Harbour program - a framework which allowed efficient transfer of personal data between European Union (EU) member states and the US - was invalid. Over 4,000 companies, including data giants such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google, relied on the Safe Harbour program […]