In a recent presentation delivered at MIT, Professor Edward Roberts and Charles Eesley discussed the findings of a report that they co-authored on the role of universities in the level of success ultimately attained by companies founded by their graduates. Understandably, an emphasis was placed on the economic success achieved by start-up companies created by […]

Brian Prentice of the Gartner Blog Network raises an interesting possibility in his post about Google's long-term business strategy. He speculates that Google's advocacy for the Patent Reform Act of 2009 coupled with its support of the open-source movement may not be as altruistic as one might first be led to think. The proposed legislation outlines various standards for […]

On 11 August 2009, a U.S. District Court in California ruled that RealDVD, RealNetwork's software that enables users to copy DVDs for personal storage on hard drives, was in violation of U.S. copyright law. In light of the evidence that RealDVD circumvented anti-piracy protection requirements set out in law, Judge Marylin Patel granted the DVD […]

Ariel Katz is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto. Ariel holds the Innovation Chair in Electronic Commerce and is the Director of the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy of the University of Toronto. With the Public Copyright Consultations moving full steam ahead, various stake-holders raise proposals for expanding […]

Patricia Aufderheide is a Professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington.  She is also the Director of the Center for Social Media. The U.S. doctrine of fair use is getting a healthy workout, and it seems like every challenge is making it stronger. In fact, fair use is becoming a very […]

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. But, do other nations stand on guard for Canada? When it comes to protecting official Canadian marks, such as the Canadian maple leaf, apparently Paris Convention Union nation courts are willing to stand up for Canada’s interests. A recent decision by the European Court of Justice has […]