'Made in America’ 2015? The TPP and the Future of Canada’s Digital Economy

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”) agreement pages of both the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the White House display an understandable, if not provocative, logo extolling that the trade deal is “Made in America”. For a trade deal whose negotiations spanned the length of President Obama’s term in office, this is hardly surprising: with the end of […]

Embracing failure: IPOsgoode's Orphan Works Hackathon.

Fail early. Fail often. For lawyers and law students, failure is anathemal; but, in the context of design, failure is a valuable learning tool. For three days starting February 3rd, innovators, law students, and stakeholders in the creative industries descended on Osgoode for IPOsgoode's second annual hackathon.

IP Year in Review 2015: A Look Back on the IP Stories That Will Shape 2016

2015 was an eventful year in intellectual property (IP) law worldwide. Canada in particular saw a lot of activity across all three major areas of IP in both legislation and jurisprudence. Topping the IP news charts was the proposed ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): a wide-ranging international deal negotiated by twelve nations, including Canada.

The future of the IGF: mandate renewal?

The re-posting of this comment is part of a cross-posting collaboration with MediaLaws: Law and Policy of the Media in a Comparative Perspective. This week, internet governance debates will centre on the UN General Assembly, which is due to make a decision about the future of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF); specifically, whether or not […]

The Internet of Things: Guidance, Regulation and the Canadian Approach

The re-posting of this article is part of a cross-posting agreement with CyberLex. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been identified as a disruptive technology, bringing with it both the promise of seamless interconnectivity of devices and, the flip side of that interconnectivity, single-point vulnerability of multiple systems. While businesses rush to embrace the technology, […]

Is Google “Feeling Lucky” at the Supreme Court?

  At the Supreme Court of Canada, Google Inc. will be searching for a more favourable ruling than it got at the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in Equustek Solutions Inc. v. Google Inc. The appeal stems from the BC Supreme Court’s granting of an injunction requiring Google to de-index certain websites from its […]

IP Osgoode Speaks Series featuring John Weigelt: Adjusting to the Changed Frame of Reference of our Technology Enabled World

March 11, 1876. December 18, 1903. July 21st, 1969. These are the dates that John Weigelt — the National Technology Officer for Microsoft Canada — used to provide scale in his recent IP Osgoode Speaks Series presentation: Adjusting to the Changed Frame of Reference of our Technology Enabled World.

Internet service providers liability and copyright protection in the EU

The re-posting of this analysis is part of a cross-posting collaboration with MediaLaws: Law and Policy of the Media in a Comparative Perspective.   Which is the legal framework surrounding Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the EU, when it comes to copyright protection? The following article analyses the importance of ISPs in the enforcement of […]

Will Google’s Alphabet Begin with B-M-W?

“A, B, C,…as easy as 1, 2, 3?” That remains to be seen. BMW may be driving Google down a bumpy road named Trademark-Infringement Lane, after Google surprised everyone on August 10th with the creation of a new company, Alphabet. I say this because the trademark “Alphabet” and the domain name alphabet.com are currently owned by German automobile-manufacturer BMW. Following the announcement, BMW reportedly […]

W3C Releases Draft Do-Not-Track Compliance Standards

The re-posting of this article is part of a cross-posting agreement with CyberLex. In today’s Internet, advertising is ubiquitous. It is the main source of revenue for many web sites and services. It is also the subject of increasing scrutiny by privacy advocates and regulators, as advertisers and ad networks develop ever-more sophisticated means to […]