British Sky v Digital Satellite Warranty: A "Made in Europe" Approach To Database Protection

Courtney Doagoo is a doctoral student at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. On October 27, 2011, the High Court of Justice Chancery Division ruled in favour of British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC et al. (Sky) on a summary judgment against Digital Satellite Warranty Cover Limited et al. (Defendants). The Defendants were held liable […]

Sony's New Terms Of Service Seek To Eliminate Class Action Threat

Brent Randall is a JD candidate at the University of Ottawa. After a very difficult summer regarding the security of the personal information of Sony customers, the technology company has chosen to protect itself from class action litigation in the future.  In the Terms of Service (TOS) for the company’s Playstation Network, which is where […]

Goodbye Borders, Hello Asset Fight

Jennifer O’Dell is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall and Denise Brunsdon is a social media writer and researcher. Borders will not be the last book chain to close its doors because of insufficient revenue in an e-reader world. But while there is symbolism and nostalgia in the loss, there are also curious digital and […]

"News Of The World" And The Regulation Of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Disgraced UK tabloid News of the World has finally crumbled under the mounting weight of the national phone-hacking scandal. As investigations heat up and criminal charges seem imminent, it is worthwhile to examine the law that prosecutors will seek to uphold and once again […]

The Silent Race For Smartphone Data...including Location and Time Stamp Data

 Taylor Vanderhelm is a JD candidate at the University of Alberta. Recently, Apple garnered unwanted attention when it was discovered by security researchers Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden that the iPhone was recording location and time stamp data through its GPS and wireless internet capabilities and then backing up the information, unencrypted, whenever users synced […]

Hack of Ontariocourts.ca Another Example of Canada’s Deficient Response to Cybercrime

Michael Gilburt is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. CBC News reports that a group of assailants known as the “Turkish defacers” successfully hacked into the web domain shared by the Ontario Court of Appeal, Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice. On April 25, 2011, users who attempted to access […]

Privacy Commissioner and Others Up In Arms about Sony PlayStation Network Hack

Matt Lonsdale is a JD candidate at Dalhousie University. On April 20th, 2011, disappointed gamers discovered they could no longer connect to the PlayStation Network. While Sony initially blamed the outage on technical problems, it was later revealed that the service had been deliberately hacked. The incident has sparked a flurry of activity among government […]

Jones v. Tsige: Snooping and Privacy in Ontario

Professor David Vaver of Osgoode Hall Law School & member of IP Osgoode’s Advisory Board. Can one’s bank account be spied on with impunity?  In Ontario it seems so, if the decision of the Superior Court in Jones v. Tsige 2011 ONSC 1475 is to be believed. 

World Health Day 2011: Thoughts on Drug Resistance and Health Privacy

Matt Lonsdale is a JD candidate at Dalhousie University. April 7th, 2011, will be the 11th annual World Health Day. This year the World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging organizations to host events focusing on the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance. The improper use of medicines can create conditions where viruses, bacteria and parasites develop resistance […]

Settlement Denied: What’s Next for Google Books?

Jenna Newman is a graduate of the Master of Publishing program at Simon Fraser University. The long-awaited ruling on the proposed Google Books settlement is out: the court has rejected the settlement. So many serious concerns were voiced by potential class members as well as scholars, librarians, the US Department of Justice, other nations—on questions […]