After recently defeating one of the greatest NBA dynasties on the court, Raptors star and NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard is set to take on one of the world’s largest brands off the court. On June 3, in the middle of the NBA Finals, Leonard filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of California […]
This article was originally posted on theCourt.ca Today (March 29) the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) will hear the intellectual property case of Keatley Surveying Ltd v Teranet Inc, 37863 [Keatley] about the issue of copyright in land surveys. Keatley Surveying Ltd (“Keatley”) brought a proposed class action on behalf of all land surveyors in Ontario against Teranet […]
When Adam Basanta created his art installation “All We’d Ever Need is One Another”, he wanted to explore technological automatization and the commercialization of art. But as he told the Globe and Mail, he never expected to explore these topics in a courtroom. Nor was he ecstatic to be served with a Statement of Claim. […]
I’m sure you’ve never accessed material online without proper permissions from the copyright holder, but, given the number of them that go out, chances are you or someone you know (or their spam folder) has received an email along the following lines: [Your ISP] has received a notice from a content owner that alleges an […]
Digital audio sampling—a music production technique whereby sound-clips are extracted from songs and incorporated into new tracks via computer software—is a staple of hip-hop music. With the increased accessibility of Canadian music via apps like Spotify, coupled with the growing Canadian hip-hop music scene, there is great potential for the usage of Canadian musical samples […]
Although the Toronto housing market may be constantly scrutinized by the Canadian media, it is not often that a copyright infringement case becomes a matter for public consumption. However, the Toronto Star published an Article reporting a settlement between homeowners regarding the alleged infringement of an architectural work.[1] Despite settling, the facts highlight two common […]
Can alterations in the sonic bed, piano figures, guitar and string lines in a musical composition save it from damages for copyright infringement of the original? The High Court of New Zealand rules “No” in its decision Eight Mile Style, LLC v. New Zealand National Party. The dispute arose after the New Zealand National Party […]
Flanked! Two Ed Sheeran songs now face copyright infringement actions. One alleges Sheeran’s “Photograph” copied a song called “Amazing” written for X Factor winner Matt Cardle. Richard Busch—also counsel for the Marvin Gaye estate in the “Blurred Lines” case—filed in June on behalf of “Amazing”’s copyright owner, HaloSongs, Inc. Another, filed in August on behalf […]
The inescapable world of U.S. politics, especially in an election year, consistently offers much legal debate. Somewhat less often, politicians and their entourages accidentally wade into the domain of intellectual property law. Politicians have famously gotten themselves into controversies by using musical works without the artists’ permission (though, without strong moral rights in the U.S., […]
Beyoncé’s Lemonade left a sour taste in at least one person’s mouth. Matthew Fulks, a Louisville-based filmmaker and creative director at the WDRB Kentucky news station, is taking the singer to court for copyright infringement. The plaintiff claims that Lemonade, Beyoncé’s trailer for her latest album, copies “visual and sonic elements” from his short-film “Palinoia.”