The notion of originality in copyright seems to reinforce an outdated assumption of author as a singular creator. Today, there are a plethora of cases that defy this notion. Most…
Month: March 2008
Perspectives from a former scientist-in-training: If I knew then, what I know now…
In its Strategic Plan published in 2006, Ontario’s Ministry of Research and Innovation called for the generation of an “innovation culture” in Ontario with one goal of increasing the commercialization…
Protecting Trade-mark Distinctiveness: The Risk of Dilution as Illustrated by the Genericism of Geographical Indicators
The proposition that consumers are confused by the use of geographical indicators (GIs) by producers other than those from the specified geographic region is arguably a weak one. Evidence that…
19.6 Billion Dollars for a Slice of Thin Air
Open Access, Competition, and Spectrum Auctions This past week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US announced the winners of their 700Mhz spectrum auction, with Verizon and AT&T being…
Protection of famous marks in Canada
In late 2007, Virgin Enterprises successfully opposed the registration of “VIRGIN CANDLES” in Israel. The applicant sought to register the TM in association with candles. The Israel Patent and Trademark…
Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in the Face of a Potential Pandemic
Issues surrounding medicine patents truly test the moral groundings of patent law. Specifically, when companies develop and patent drugs that treat life threatening diseases, the inherent morality behind restrictive patent…