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Scrabble Scrambles for Trade-mark Infringement Ruling

Popular online game developer Zynga was recently the subject of a trade-mark infringement claim over their game “Scramble With Friends.” In the England and Wales High Court case, J.W. Spear & Sons Ltd Mattel, Inc & Anor v Zynga, Mattel claimed that the Zynga game infringed their SCRABBLE and SCRAMBLE family of marks. 

Improving the Patent Law Lottery by Reforming Damages

A key feature of any patent system is the right of enforcement available for infringement. Of the various recourses available in Canada, damages are the default remedy. Care is therefore necessary to ensure the correct level of damages is awarded, if only because undeservedly large or small damages awards may hurt innovation by depleting the […]

Copyright Economy: Protecting ‘Works of Mas’ in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract: This study problematizes international copyright policy by using a case study that can be said to exist outside of the copyright paradigm. Using works of mas in Trinidad and Tobago as my case study, I examine what a policy with the potential to protect it as a cultural product with commercial value would look […]

Inequitable Conduct in Canadian Patent Prosecution

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently provided an example of when patents will be invalidated due to inequitable conduct. Canadian patent law presently has no comparable doctrine of inequitable conduct, but the US ruling provides an interesting comparative basis from which to discuss the duty of good faith in Canadian […]

A “Raging Bull” Won't Quit: The Doctrine of Delay and Copyright Infringement

Rules define sport. In boxing, a fighter who is knocked down has a ten-second count to stand up and continue the match. If they fail, they are declared “knocked out” and their opponent wins. Rules also define law - except that in the world of law, the fighter can be declared “knocked out” before they […]

Beer, Reform, and Policy: A Pint of Chinese Trade-mark Law

If you want to order a Heineken in China, just ask the bartender for a “喜力啤酒” (pronounced “see lee pee jow”). The second word-pair, “啤酒”(“pee jow”), simply means “beer” and can be ubiquitously used to order beer in China. But the first word-pair, “喜力” (“see lee”), is the trade name chosen by Heineken to represent […]

Targeted Advertising Puts Bell in Sights of the Privacy Commissioner

Motivated to compete with Facebook and Google, Bell recently announced that starting November 16 it will be collecting massive amounts of customer data to deliver targeted advertising. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) stated that it will be investigating the matter. Canada’s telecom giant is adamant that it will comply with the […]