The IPilogue is IP Osgoode’s online journal of IP Law and Technology. It publishes analysis and commentary on current pressing intellectual property, technology, privacy and related legal issues. The IPilogue features curated contributions from students, scholars, and experts within the Osgoode community, from our network of affiliated researchers and partners, as well as from professionals and scholars in disciplines outside of law.
Editor in Chief: Prof. Carys Craig (ccraig@osgoode.yorku.ca)
Submission inquiries: iposgoode@osgoode.yorku.ca
A recent CBC news story showed several Canada Border Service agents having posted damaging comments and pictures on their Facebook profiles. The pictures showed them partying and drinking while in uniform, and the remarks revealed an inability to discern between certain foreign passports. While the article will undoubtedly raise issues of national security, it should […]
Canada is getting serious on identity theft! Will sharpening the teeth of the criminal law be enough? To clarify the news headlines, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s has announced that proposed legislation intends to criminalize preparatory offences, such as gathering and/or trafficking confidential personal information for the purposes of deceit or fraud. While preparatory offences will […]
The recent closure of AllofMP3 is coming to an end. The site that was closed in July 2007 has recently been reopened under another name and site location. The site that has users pay a flat rate to download music was thought to be in violation of copyright laws in Russia. However, a recent court […]
Like many cell phone customers, you might be irritated that your service provider locks you in. Shortly after Apple released its iPhone, hackers developed unlocking software so the popular phone could be used on networks other than AT&T. Since it has not been made official that the iPhone is coming to Canada, many buyers are […]
So Google, at the behest of the European Union, is compiling what could be the largest personal database the world has ever seen. Does this sound a little Orwellian to anyone? The privacy implications of Google’s actions should concern just about every user of the search engine and internet. As rightly pointed out by activist […]
The move to criminalize identity theft comes amid pressing calls to modernize current privacy laws that have be made irrelevant by rapidly evolving technologies. Identity theft, that is the unauthorized gathering, possessing of or dealing in identity information, is not caught by the existing Criminal Code. While several activities integral to the unauthorized use of […]
In response to a request from the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for additional trademark legislation related specifically to the Olympic and Paralympic 2010 Winter Games, the Canadian government proposed Bill C-47, The Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2007 and is now awaiting its coming into force by the […]
Second Life, as it is aptly named, is a virtual world. Through online personas, known as avatars, users of Second Life interact with each other as well as with the virtual items that they create. Users reap rewards for their creative efforts by retaining and exploiting intellectual property (`IP’) rights in their creations; the result […]
Vonage has been the target of substantial patent infringement litigation in recent months. One of their ongoing disputes has been with Verizon, a competitor in the internet phone business. Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit released its decision in Vonage’s appeal. At first glance, it may appear Vonage was the more […]
Paris Hilton has filed a federal lawsuit over a U.S. $2.49 Hallmark greeting card that uses a photograph of the heiress and her trademarked phrase "That's Hot." Ms. Hilton is seeking at least U.S. $500,000 in actual damages and a permanent injunction barring Hallmark from further exploitation of her name and likeness. Although this case […]