Movies

Luksan v. Van der Let, Or Rather, EU v. UrhG?

A recent dispute before an Austrian court has demonstrated a quirky conflict between EU and domestic law with regards to the granting of statutory exploitation rights in cinematographic works.

“Communication To The Public” Also Hot-Button Issue Across the Pond

Ben Farrow is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As previously reported by the IPilogue here, the Supreme Court of Canada is not the only national court grappling with the term “communication to the public”. Similar to two of the internet copyright cases heard by the Supreme Court of Canada earlier this month […]

You Better Watch Out…For These Five Supreme Court Of Canada Cases

Giuseppina D’Agostino is the Founder and Director of IP Osgoode, the Founder and Director of the new IP Intensive Program, and an Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. This December copyright is coming to town!  Five historic hearings at the Supreme Court of Canada and a brand new copyright bill in Parliament have the […]

Creative Industry Unions, CFM And ACTRA, Strengthen Ties With Formal Alliance Agreement

Andrew Baker is an LLB/BCL candidate at McGill University Faculty of Law. Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) and ACTRA have recently formalized a strategic alliance agreement that outlines opportunities for mutual support on issues of common interest, and promotes solidarity and greater unity of purpose between the two labour unions.

Re:Sound Not Soundly Defeated Just Yet

Brent Randall is a JD candidate at the University of Ottawa. On September 8, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal in the Federal Court of Appeal case of Re:Sound v. Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada, et al. The copyright case will be heard by Canada’s highest court along with four […]

Marvel Wins Right To Retain Copyrights Of Comic Characters

Taylor Vanderhelm is a JD candidate at the University of Alberta. Marvel Worldwide Inc. won its case to retain the copyrights to comic characters against the estate of legendary comic creator Jack Kirby. The suit was in response to Kirby’s heirs filing of 45 notices of copyright termination in order to reassert their claim to […]

Friendly Courts And Western Benefactors Support Chinese Piracy

Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Online file-sharing company Xunlei Limited recently announced that it has indefinitely postponed its initial public offering and NASDAQ listing due to unfavourable market conditions. Although some would claim the setback as a small victory against a leading copyright pirate, inspection of the company’s continued […]

UK Courts Willing To Apply Foreign Copyright Laws In Lucasfilm v. Ainsworth

Matt Lonsdale is a graduate of the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. On July 27, 2011, the UK Supreme Court released its long-awaited decision in Lucasfilm Limited v. Ainsworth. While Andrew Ainsworth is presumably happy with the court’s ruling that the Storm Trooper armour from the Star Wars franchise is utilitarian and does […]

Font Used In Harry Potter Merchandise Could Spell Damage Award

Brent Randall is a JD candidate at the University of Ottawa. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the final film in the Potter film series, was released on July 15, 2011.  With its worldwide box office grosses now pushing the $1 billion mark, the big story has been the end of the wildly […]

Copyright Alerts: The Next Solution to Online Piracy?

Danny Titolo is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. An agreement has recently been made between the largest music, television and motion picture companies and the leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to create the “copyright alert” system. The main purpose of this system is to notify subscribers when their accounts are being used […]