On October 10, 2013, IP Osgoode hosted a full-day symposium on “User Generated Content Under Canadian Copyright Law” discussing the new UGC copyright exception with guest speakers from government, industry, private practice, and academia. After a morning showcasing examples of user-generated content (“UGC”) – including a DJ Lance Romance track, Psycho slowed down to 24 […]
On October 10, Osgoode Hall Law School hosted a symposium on User Generated Content under Canadian Copyright Law. The final panel of the day featured IP Osgoode Advisory Board member Barry Sookman and Prof. Joost Blom, who each gave a talk on the broader international context of the UGC exception created by recent amendments to […]
Although states have different cultural and legal traditions, copyright is a legal discipline that unites many aspects of these traditions.
The exclusive right of “making available” under the WCT [WIPO Copyright Treaty] and the implementing EU legislation cover the offering to the public of a work for individualized streaming or downloading; in addition, where it takes place, the actual transmission of a work to members of the public also is covered, both irrespective of the […]
Let’s assume you’re a French musician part of a hip British indie-rock band. 30 years later, you discover that an Austrian company has been making unauthorized CDs and a UK-based outfit has been selling them online. Can your home court in France hear your action against the Austrian CD manufacturer? According to a recent preliminary […]
What makes a fictional character who they are? Would Darth Vader be Darth Vader without being Luke Skywalker’s father? Would Harry Potter be Harry Potter without defeating Voldemort? An American court will be asked to decide just that in Klinger v Conan Doyle Estate.
So much for southern hospitality. Celebrated American author Harper Lee finds herself embroiled in a trademark clash for the right to register the title of her own 1961 Pulitzer-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
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.
Bleiberg Entertainment was unsuccessful in its argument that running a WiFi network without password protection is negligent in tort law. Bleiberg was aiming to force disclosure of ISP subscriber information to launch copyright infringement actions against those connected to the disclosed IP addresses. Not knowing if those subscribers were directly connected with the infringement, Bleiberg attempted to argue they were nonetheless […]
Watching a television program only to have it cut to commercial during a dramatic scene has always been a frustrating, yet accepted, experience for those of us watching primetime television – until now. The Dish Network recently released technology which allows viewers to skip through commercial breaks, much to the dismay of broadcast networks, and […]