Art from Fragments: A Legal Framework for the Growth of Canadian Hip-Hop and Digital Sampling

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 […]

A Recipe for Protection - A look at trademarks in the restaurant industry

There’s no denying that the restaurant business is a primary gateway to the workforce for many, with well over 1.2 million Canadians being employed through this $80 billion industry. While the quality of a restaurant’s food is integral to the restaurant’s financial success, the strategic use of intellectual property (IP), particularly trademarks, can give a […]

Nothing to Turn Your Nose up at: Playdoh and the dawn of scent trademarks

On Friday, May 19th, Hasbro announced that the characteristic scent of their well-known Play-Doh product has been officially recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office as a registered trademark of the brand. This presents a major step forward in the evolution of “scent trademarks”, with Hasbro being by far the largest corporation to […]

Congratulations to Will Foster, Osgoode’s first student to receive the David Vaver Medal for Excellence in IP!

IP Osgoode is pleased to announce the award of the inaugural David Vaver Medal for Excellence in IP to William Foster, Osgoode Class of 2018!

Announcing the 2017/2018 Winners of the @GowlingWLG Best Blog in IP Law and Technology Prize

IP Osgoode would like to congratulate the winners of the Gowling WLG Best Blog in IP Law and Technology Prize for 2017-2018. Four prizes in total are awarded each year to Osgoode students and the winning blog posts are featured in the IPilogue. Recipients also receive a $500 award, are announced at Convocation and receive […]

The Right to Be Forgotten and the Canadian Landscape

In May 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) upheld the so-called “right to be forgotten” in a privacy test case brought forward by a Spanish lawyer against Google. In its ruling, the court granted EU citizens the right to ask search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Bing, to remove links […]

The Right to Forget and not Forget in Spain

On May 13, 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a landmark decision that allows EU citizens the “right to be forgotten” – basically, the right to withdraw consent over the processing of an individual’s personal information. Under that ruling, individuals have the right to ask Google and other search engines […]

Rethinking Defamation Law

On May 3rd the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) hosted an international conference examining how defamation law should be reformed in light of “far-reaching developments in law, technology, and social values.” The first panel of the conference, Rethinking Defamation Law: The Setting for Reform, provided an overview of defamation law in Canada and some factors […]

The Harms and Values Underlying Defamation Law in the Internet Age

Earlier last month, the Law Commission of Ontario (‘LCO’) held a conference entitled “Defamation Law and the Internet: Where do we go from here? “. This may well have been the most comprehensive review of defamation law in the internet age, at least as proclaimed by the Project Brief of the LCO.

Jurisdiction, Anonymity and Unpublishing - Frontline Problems in Resolving Online Defamation Claims

At the recent conference, “Defamation Law and the Internet: Where do we go from here?”, organized by the Law Commission of Ontario, the luncheon keynote focused on the issues of extra-territorial jurisdiction, anonymity, and unpublishing with respect to resolving online defamation claims.