Canadian copyright bill to arrive…finally?

Sunday, June 1st, 2008

There are rumours that a new copyright bill is imminent. Copyright issues are increasingly gaining public prominence and there are views of every stripe. See below for a distinct view by Barry Sookman, copyright expert and co-chair of the Technology Group at McCarthy Tétrault, on the copyright debate as we await the ...

Posted in copyright reform, Digital Downloads, Music Industry, Internet Sharing, Copyright | No Comments »

19.6 Billion Dollars for a Slice of Thin Air

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

Open Access, Competition, and Spectrum Auctions This past week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US announced the winners of their 700Mhz spectrum auction, with Verizon and AT&T being the big winners. In bidding 19.6 billion dollars in the process, the winners secured rights to broadcast on a very ...

Posted in Telecommunications, Technology | No Comments »

Amazon’s Kindle and the Doctrine of Exhaustion

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

With much fanfare last Monday, Amazon.com released their wireless e-book reader that uses e-ink technology and allows users to purchase books wirelessly over Sprint's cellular network in the United States. Though the product lacks the immaculate design of some other consumer electronics (read: the iPhone), it nevertheless hit the ...

Posted in Technology, IP, Copyright | No Comments »

Nissan v. BMW: ‘M’ wars heading to SCC?

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

After a see-saw battle at the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, this trade-mark battle between the two automotive manufacturers may be coming to the Supreme Court of Canada. BMW has filed for an application for leave to appeal. Facts BMW has, for decades, used the letter ‘M’ in conjunction ...

Posted in Trademarks | No Comments »