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The Public Domain: IP, Culture, and Democracy

The Public Domain: IP, Culture, and Democracy

Jonathan MacKenzie is an LLM candidate at Osgoode Hall and is taking the Intellectual Property Theory course. Since its first significant formal uses - in the 1896 decision of Singer v. June and the United States' 1909 Copyright Act - the term "public domain" has become a key component of the North American IP legal regime. […]

"Fairey Use" in the Courts: The Battle Over the Obama "Hope" Poster

"Fairey Use" in the Courts: The Battle Over the Obama "Hope" Poster

Peter Waldkirch is a second year LL.B. student at the University of Ottawa. The copyright infringement lawsuit centering around the iconic Obama “Hope” image recently took a strange turn. On one side is the controversial artist Shepard Fairey, who produced the famous poster; on the other is the Associated Press, who claims ownership of the […]

The 2008 Berkeley Patent Survey

The 2008 Berkeley Patent Survey

Brian Chau is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Given the essential role that entrepreneurs play in driving the economy, there is no question that the creation of patent laws must take into account the protection of their interests. From a small business perspective, patents play a large role not only in helping protect their inventions […]

IP Osgoode Speaks: Chris Castle on Voluntary Collective Licensing

IP Osgoode Speaks: Chris Castle on Voluntary Collective Licensing

Brandon Evenson is a 2010 JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Queen’s University. Prior to attending Osgoode, Mr. Evenson consulted for some of the world’s leading technology firms in the area of contract risk and licensing compliance. Last Thursday, IP Osgoode hosted Chris Castle, managing partner […]

CRTC Comes Down Soft on Promoting Net Neutrality

CRTC Comes Down Soft on Promoting Net Neutrality

George Nathanael is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Last week the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released a policy dealing with the traffic management practices of internet service providers (ISPs). Though an important report that outlines the CRTC’s views on how it will resolve issues that fall directly within the realm […]

Did Barbara Streisand and Twitter beat the super-injunction?

Did Barbara Streisand and Twitter beat the super-injunction?

Billy Barnes is a JD Candidate at the University of Toronto. A claim is being passed around online: that the Internet (Twitter, specifically) has beat the super-injunction. The claim is not quite true, but it's another reminder that the best way to ensure that everyone knows about something is to try to prevent them from hearing […]

Should Copyright Law Rethink Authorship?

Should Copyright Law Rethink Authorship?

Daniel Kennedy is a JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall and is taking the Intellectual Property Theory course. Like many words, “authorship” takes on distinct meaning in the realm of copyright law.  However, it may be difficult to divorce historical values associated with the term even when it is used in the legal realm.  In his article, “Copyright and […]