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23,000 Could be on the Hook for Downloading The Expendables

23,000 Could be on the Hook for Downloading The Expendables

Jeffrey O’Brien is a JD candidate at the University of Alberta. The United States District Court for The District of Columbia has granted leave to appeal to Avi Lerner’s production company, Nu Image. The studio is trying to sue 23,000 individuals for illegally downloading The Expendables. Surely they are not planning to enforce copyright against […]

Targeting the Target Name in Canada

Targeting the Target Name in Canada

Nora Sleeth is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. On May 2, 2011, Target Corporation and Fairweather Ltd. went to court disputing the rights to the Target name in Canada. While Target Corporation plans to open its doors to Canadian consumers in 2013, Fairweather’s Target Apparel hopes to remain the only Target in […]

No Record Label Licences? No Problem it seems for Google’s Music Locker

No Record Label Licences? No Problem it seems for Google’s Music Locker

Danny Titolo is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Google has officially entered the online music storage and streaming field. The service is called Music Beta by Google, and allows users to upload music libraries to a personal storage locker online. From this storage locker or cloud, users can then download or stream […]

Fired for Comments on Facebook: Speech, Social Media, and the Workplace

Fired for Comments on Facebook: Speech, Social Media, and the Workplace

Andrew Baker is a LLB/BCL candidate at McGill University Faculty of Law. A recent decision of a UK Labour Tribunal has upheld the dismissal of an employee for comments made on her Facebook page.  The case demonstrates the increasing use of social media in the employer/employee relationship and the legal effects on speech.

How Private Information Became “News of the World”

How Private Information Became “News of the World”

Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As the volume of litigants and evidence stacks up against News of the World amid the ongoing British phone-hacking scandal, onlookers have increasingly begun to wonder how it had gotten so far without any serious repercussions. New investigations not only give concerning accounts of […]

Do Not Track Kids’ Bill Introduced in US Congress

Do Not Track Kids’ Bill Introduced in US Congress

Taylor Vanderhelm is a JD candidate at the University of Alberta Online tracking of children has become an increasingly hot topic as concerned parents and privacy advocates push for greater protection of children’s online information, particularly amid revelations that popular kids’ sites install 30% more tracking tools than those targeting adults and Disney’s $3 million […]

Same Bat Marks, Same Batmobile – And That’s the Problem

Same Bat Marks, Same Batmobile – And That’s the Problem

Brent Randall is a JD candidate at the University of Ottawa. DC Comics, owner of the Batman character, filed a lawsuit on May 6, 2011, alleging infringement of its copyright and trade-mark rights over the Batmobile.  The suit, filed in California, alleges that the named defendant, Mark Towle, is selling imitation Batmobile vehicles as well […]

Microsoft Splurges with $8.5 Billion Acquisition of Skype

Microsoft Splurges with $8.5 Billion Acquisition of Skype

Matt Lonsdale is a JD candidate at Dalhousie University. Software giant Microsoft has acquired Internet telephony firm Skype for a cool $8.5 billion. Microsoft’s purchase comes in the wake of Skype filing to become a publicly traded company. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer commented that “Skype was on a path to IPO, and we said, 'Hey, […]

Medical Justice or an Unjust Medical Practice?

Medical Justice or an Unjust Medical Practice?

Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Since 2002, at least one company, Medical Justice, has been offering physicians the opportunity to quiet the online voices of dissatisfied patients through a unique manipulation of copyright law. As this service has become more popular among physicians, closer scrutiny has become warranted. Unfortunately for […]