Can the content of conversations between a famous criminal and police agents taking place in the backseat of a car be protected by copyright? This question, addressed to the Dutch courts in 2006, resurfaced in recent weeks after the decision of the Amsterdam Court of Appeals in the case Endstra Tapes.
For several years, research at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law (MPI) – in collaboration with experts from all over the world – has examined the trend of bilateral and regional agreements that include provisions on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights.
CBC’s ill-fated “Ici” re-branding may be getting clawed back, but that’s not stopping Radio-Canada from seeking a trade-mark expungement against current broadcaster and “Ici” trade-mark holder, Sam Nozouri.
On June 12th, 2013, the Chairperson of the CRTC - Jean-Pierre Blais - addressed a gathered group of context creators and advertisers at the Banff World Media Festival in Alberta. In his speech, Blais laid out the current role of the organization and how he sees it evolving in the future.
The dividing line between intellectual property and antitrust laws was further clarified last week when the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) settled a debate on the illegality of Reverse Payment Agreements (RPAs) in Federal Trade Commission (FTC) v Actavis. In so doing, the Court split the difference between the FTC’s assertion that RPAs […]
This Chapter analyses one harmonisation project within European intellectual property law, namely, the recent development of trade mark law within the European Union (EU). It highlights several characteristics of trade mark harmonisation within the European Union.
On June 13, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision which ruled against the patenting of isolated DNA sequences in their natural form in the now infamous case involving Myriad Genetics, Inc. and the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The decision represents a major milestone in the legal treatment of biotechnological inventions, and presents a number of relevant […]
The Federal Government recently announced it would not allow Mobilicity to transfer the wireless spectrum it owns to Telus, effectively blocking a deal for the incumbent to acquire the smaller new entrant. Many see this as a victory for consumers and a bolstering of the Government's initiative to spur competition in the wireless market, while others are concerned about the immediate future of […]
Watch out, patent trolls - the Attorney General of Vermont is coming to get you. Vermont recently became the first US state to enact an anti-"patent trolling" law.
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.