Protecting Fizziness: Osgoode at the 15th Annual Oxford Intellectual Property Moot

Osgoode Hall Law School’s mooting team recently returned from the University of Oxford, UK, where they competed in the annual Oxford International Intellectual Property Moot. They achieved the highest preliminary round score and made the quarter-finals, losing to the eventual champion of the competition: Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Germany. The quartet of Jordan Fine, Alicja […]

IP Intensive: From Tariffs to Bouncy Castles—A Semester at SOCAN

As part of IP Osgoode’s Intellectual Property Law and Technology Intensive Program, students are asked to reflect, then write on their placement experience. All I could think was how perfect my placement at the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers (SOCAN) was, as a musician and SOCAN member, and law student fascinated by infringement.

Infringement City Blues (Make Ed Sheeran Wanna Holler)

Flanked! Two Ed Sheeran songs now face copyright infringement actions. One alleges Sheeran’s “Photograph” copied a song called “Amazing” written for X Factor winner Matt Cardle. Richard Busch—also counsel for the Marvin Gaye estate in the “Blurred Lines” case—filed in June on behalf of “Amazing”’s copyright owner, HaloSongs, Inc. Another, filed in August on behalf […]

Stairway to Infringement

Intro: “The Hook” This summer, an American jury found that “Stairway to Heaven” [hereafter Stairway] rockers Led Zeppelin did not infringe the song “Taurus” [hereafter Taurus], performed by the band Spirit. The plaintiff, Randy Wolfe—or rather, a trustee for the trust which owns the late Wolfe’s copyright—was Spirit’s songwriter, guitarist and vocalist, and the copyright […]

Osgoode Wins Best Factum, Takes 2nd Place at the 2016 Fox IP Moot

A preeminent Canadian artist named Ann Phibian. Her shaded-in line drawing of a leaping frog titled “50 Shades of Green” and the public domain painting it was based on titled “One Giant Leap”. A graphic designer named Baron Greenback. The problem for the 2016 annual Harold G. Fox Moot was packed with as many amphibious […]

Tariffbusters: Does the CBC v SODRAC decision debunk the "Mandatory Tariff Theory

Introduction to the panel After two exciting and lively debates on the principle of technological neutrality (see Sebastian Beck-Watt’s coverage here) and reproduction rights (see Paul Blizzard’s coverage here), IP Osgoode’s Unpack SODRAC symposium turned to a new panel to ‘unpack’ the paragraphs of CBC v SODRAC [SODRAC] concerning the mandatory (or not) nature of tariffs […]

IP Osgoode Speaks Series featuring Jerry Agar: I Don’t Care About You

Jerry Agar—host of the “Jerry Agar Show” on Newstalk 1010 radio—opened his IP Osgoode Speaks Series talk with an admission that he did not care about us. Following the fleeting moment where he (clearly in jest) cast immediate discouragement onto his own audience, he clarified his statement: the default position for Agar—and media gatekeepers, generally—is […]

IP Osgoode Speaks Series Featuring Prof. Matthew Rimmer

The Trans Pacific Partnership: Copyright Law, the Creative Industries and Internet Freedom In a timely manner, only three days after the announcement of the conclusion of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), Prof. Matthew Rimmer accepted our invitation and shared few of the hidden secrets behind the agreement as part of IP Osgoode speaks […]

Ottawa Finally Fills Position Copyright Board Chair: Justice Robert A. Blair

The times they are a hopefully changing for the Copyright Board of Canada. Over a year ago, Justice William Vancise stepped down after serving his maximum two terms as chair.  On June 3rd, the Board issued a press release stating that Industry Minister James Moore had finally announced the appointment of Justice Robert A. Blair as Chair, effective immediately. […]

TIPG Copyright and Technological Neutrality Event: Ghostbusting with Professor Giuseppina D'Agostino, Christine Pallotta and Richard Pfohl

On the heels of oral arguments heard before the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in CBC v SODRAC, the Toronto Intellectual Property Group hosted a fascinating event centered on the principle of technological neutrality from ESA v SOCAN, and how it might be interpreted by the SCC when the case is decided.