Tout arrive en France, especially for folks following recent intellectual property news. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) released a key judgment in January in a case that pitted copyright against freedom of expression.
More of a cautionary winter's tale than a midsummer night's dream, an Indiana farmer facing legal action from a certain biotech and chemical multinational behemoth recently reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is called Bowman v. Monsanto, and with all that hangs in the balance, a herbicide-resistant rose by any other name would, in […]
Superman – the superhero known to be faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound – seems to be a magnet for lawsuits. The iconic superhero with the ‘S’ on his chest was the subject of another long legal battle that ended earlier this month. Had the case […]
What follows is a cautionary tale, reminding users that it might be wise to read the terms presented on your computer screen before clicking “I Agree”.
DC Comics v Pacific Pictures Corp et al, the recent decision of a Central District of California court to deny termination rights to the heirs of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster, may be legally based in American copyright law. However, the case has its roots, loosely speaking, in Canada.
At the risk of raining on the EU's cloud parade, the European Commission's recently unveiled report, “Unleashing the Potential of Cloud Computing in Europe”, also threatens to unleash a legal storm of international regulatory ordeals, multi-jurisdictional issues, privacy and security battles, and commercial liability. Alas, that is the price of technological ambition: one is always waiting for […]
In a time where the price for cable TV and Internet subscriptions seem to be ever-increasing, a bid for Astral Media Inc. by Bell Canda Enterprises Inc. (BCE) in March, 2012 for $3.38 billion has roused the concerns of a number competing corporations and consumer groups.
Apparently, $60 Million. The trademark battle between Apple Inc. and Shenzhen Proview Technology (which I previously covered here) has come to an end. The value of the name “iPad” in China is now known, even before the tablet can be stocked on store shelves in the Mainland. A few days ago, the Guangdong Higher People’s […]
Edward Elgar Publishing has released a paperback edition of the book Copyright, Contracts, Creators - New Media, New Rules by Prof. Giuseppina D'Agostino. Copyright, Contracts, Creators evaluates the efficacy of current copyright law to address the contracting and use of creative works. It looks in particular at freelance works and argues that their copyright treatment […]
On June 11 2012 an article by Vinay Menon appeared in the Toronto Star titled “Anne of Green Gables to be remade for TV”. The article reports that Kate Macdonald Butler, granddaughter to author Lucy Maud Montgomery and president of the family-owned company Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc., will be centrally involved in a new […]