Social Networks and Fundamental Rights: Last Developments In The Cyberspace

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. “Dear User, your Facebook account has been temporary deactivated”. This statement represents one of the typical Facebook (FB) notifications to users in the event of flagged content or general malfunctions. There could be […]

#TwitterWantsToTweetTransparency

Earlier this month, Twitter filed a lawsuit (Twitter v. Holder) against the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), claiming they prevented Twitter from publishing statistics pertaining to the number and type of US Government surveillance requests received. Twitter asserts that the publication ban is an unconstitutional violation of their […]

The Academy Awards Selfie Rights Debate

Copyright ownership in Ellen Degeneres' famous Oscar Twitter Selfie, which holds the record for most retweets, might be unclear, but for the average citizen sharing the picture, it doesn’t matter much. Canada’s fair dealing and the United States’ fair use exemptions cover the most common types of sharing and dissemination of the image.

The Safety of Nova Scotia's New Cyber-Safety Act

A Nova Scotia court has issued the first order under the new Cyber-safety Act. Some critics have claimed the Act as being overly broad and unfair, while the government has defended it as a necessary evolution in the new digital world.

Dating Sites Scrape Internet for Women’s Photos, Including Those of Deceased

Dubious and likely illegal image scraping is alive and well. And outside of particularly public, harmful cases like Rehtaeh Parsons’ photo ending up on a dating site, few organizations or governments seem to be effectively coordinating to stop the practice.

I Heart... Everything? Google Patents Heart Gesture to Indicate Importance on Social Networks

On a crisp fall day, you notice the perfect maple leaf lying on the pavement. You know that you have to share this with the world, but how will you let others know how great this leaf is? After all, this leaf is awesome. In the near future, simply joining your hands in a heart […]

Canadians Make Their Mark on Global Guide for Museum IP

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has updated its Guide on Managing Intellectual Property for Museums, with two Canadians playing major roles in the Guide’s creation.

Canada and US Continue to Diverge on Geolocational Privacy

Just because technology now exists to track a person through their mobile phone does not mean you are legally entitled to do so.  This was the main conclusion by the Supreme Court of New Jersey in their unanimous, groundbreaking geolocational privacy decision in State v. Earls.

Will I Am: Pharrell Williams and Will.i.am In Trade-Mark Dispute

Pharrell may currently hold the #1 and #2 spots on Billboard’s Hot 100, but in the past few weeks, he made headlines due to his ongoing trade-mark dispute with Will.i.am (coincidentally, the last band to hold both the #1 and #2 spots was Will.i.am's band, The Black Eyed Peas).

Breach of Confidence: Your “Friends” Can’t Protect You

As social media becomes increasingly prolific, the perils of its use are becoming increasingly apparent. Yet another case has highlighted that the information you place in the online sphere is liable to harm you in a court of law.