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Branding Arts & Literature: More Misleading Cases by A.P. Herbert

Branding Arts & Literature: More Misleading Cases by A.P. Herbert

It is that time of year when honest Canadians self-report their incomes and voluntarily pay their taxes. But is the tax system impartial to all taxpayers, or does it prejudice against certain activities while subsidizing others? We can learn a thing or two about challenging the status quo from the fictional copyright cases on taxation […]

Broken Promises: Utility Standards and Patent Applications in Canada

Broken Promises: Utility Standards and Patent Applications in Canada

The last day of June 2017 saw the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) quash the controversial Promise Doctrine. The issue at hand in AstraZeneca Canada Inc v Apotex Inc was whether the Promise Doctrine should be held as the correct standard of utility under the Patent Act. The SCC’s ruling finds the Promise Doctrine unsound […]

IP Osgoode Call for Applications

IP Osgoode Call for Applications

We are pleased to announce a call for applications for a number of exciting opportunities with IP Osgoode including IPilogue Editors and Innovation Clinic Fellows.  See below for more information. Osgoode students are invited to attend the IP Osgoode Student Information Session on Monday, September 11, from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM in room 2008. […]

Just Laugh It Off: Trademark Parody and the Expansion of User Rights

Just Laugh It Off: Trademark Parody and the Expansion of User Rights

I was invited to attend the Canadian Bar Association Intellectual Property section’s IP Day 2017 and Judges’ Dinner, on May 11, 2017 in Ottawa. It was an honour to be invited as the winner of the Intellectual Property Law student essay contest for my paper “Just Laugh It Off: Trademark Parody and the Expansion of […]

Having Skin in the Game – How Video Games are Entering the World of Gambling

Having Skin in the Game – How Video Games are Entering the World of Gambling

Gambling has accompanied sports-watching for hundreds of years. In Canada alone, it was reportedly estimated that $500 million are spent annually on provincially-regulated sports gambling. Similar gambling activities are now prevalent in digital arenas. Popular strategy video games, such as Starcraft and Dota 2, have given rise to the massive industry of eSports, or professional competitive […]

SCC Rules in Favour of Plaintiffs in Class Action Against Facebook

SCC Rules in Favour of Plaintiffs in Class Action Against Facebook

On June 23 the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) delivered its decision in Douez v Facebook Inc., ruling in favour of the plaintiff. This decision affirms that the privacy rights of Canadians override forum selection clauses contained in contracts of adhesion, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in places such as online service agreements.