Smartphones

What a Potential Blackberry Sale Says About Canadian Innovation

In a recent Globe and Mail op-ed, columnist Konrad Yakabuski argues that the likely sale and potential breakup of Blackberry would be a major setback to Canada’s innovation agenda.

Apple’s Appealing Patent Result

In the latest episode of the Apple patent saga, the United States Court of Appeals has altered a decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC) discussing two crucial features of the modern smartphone: multi-touch functionality and a method of determining if this touch is a “finger touch.”

Canada and US Continue to Diverge on Geolocational Privacy

Just because technology now exists to track a person through their mobile phone does not mean you are legally entitled to do so.  This was the main conclusion by the Supreme Court of New Jersey in their unanimous, groundbreaking geolocational privacy decision in State v. Earls.

The Future is Unfriendly for Mobilicity Acquisition by Telus

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 […]

Can Apple Unlock a Benefit to the Smartphone Patent Wars?

There have been many high profile court cases of patent infringement in the past year, culminating in a headline-topping $1 billion award for Apple against Samsung. Even with massive awards like this, at the end of the day, has the patent system produced a net benefit for Apple and the smartphone industry as a whole?

Stay Wars: Apple Strikes Back (UPDATED)

Having won the patent infringement battle in the High Court of Justice of England & Wales, Samsung is determined to win the war. Apple, however, is attempting to stave off the offensive by fighting to have a controversial court order stayed.

Avoiding Poison Apples and Tending to Blackberries: Did Canada’s 1989 Shift To First-To-File Nip Small-Time Innovation In the Bud?

New legal research from the University of Pennsylvania Law School suggests so. The aim of the study, according to Professors David S. Abrams and R. Polk Wagner, is to empirically predict how the recent changes to American patent laws, introduced by section 3 (s3) of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), will affect American innovation after […]

Message Delivered, But Not Received: BBM Canada Loses Case Against RIM

When hearing the word BBM, most people reach instinctively for their BlackBerry, and its instant messaging service, BlackBerry Messenger. However, there is also a company called BBM Canada, formerly known as the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement, which provides impartial ratings data and analysis to Canadian broadcasters and advertisers. BBM Canada sued Research in Motion (“RIM”), […]

lawTechCamp reminds Lawful Access to consider the Charter: The Disclosure of Subscriber Information and Privacy Implications

Throughout last weekend’s second annual lawTechCamp, audience members interacted with each other using the Twitter hashtag #ltcto2012. While many participants chose not to hide their online identity behind a veil of anonymity, this possibility currently exists without privacy concerns. Sahar Zomorodi’s session, “Dissecting the term ‘lawful access’ in the proposed Online Surveillance Bill C-30,” illustrated Bill C-30’s privacy issues and […]

Whose Patent is It Anyway?: The Ongoing Legal Legacy Between Samsung and Apple

Using a quote that he attributes to Pablo Picasso, the late Steve Jobs stated in a 1994 interview that “good artists copy, great artists steal.” It seems somewhat ironic that Apple Inc., the company he co-founded, now finds itself in an entrenched legal battle with Samsung over a number of alleged patent and trademark infringements. The twist? […]