The announcement by ICANN to open the Internet to a limitless number of domains has been a cause of stir since June 2008 when Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accepted this recommendation of its global stakeholders. ICANN’s website describes itself as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation aimed at coordinating and maintaining the integrity […]
Ashlee Froese is an Osgoode Hall alumnus and currently practices intellectual property at the law firm of Keyser Mason Ball LLP. Sibling Rivalry: The intersection of Domain Names and Trade-marks Domain names and trade-mark owners have always had a contentious co-existence. Whereas trade-mark rights are granted on a use basis, domain names are registered on […]
Giovanni Maria Riccio is Professor of Private Comparative Law at the University of Salerno. Professor Riccio is an IP Osgoode Research Affiliate. The French Constitutional Court held that the “Creation and Internet” law – the law promoted by the Olivennes Commission and strictly supported by the President Sarkozy – is unconstitutional. This Act – whose […]
Section 230 of the United States Communications Decency Act (47 USC 230) gives “providers of interactive computer services” (like ISPs, internet forums and social networking sites) immunity from certain types of claims when the providers publish or republish the works of other people. It was enacted to overrule a 1995 decision that held an ISP […]
It is no secret that counterfeit goods have been sold over the internet for years. Your relation to someone who has purchased some form of counterfeited good over the internet most probably follows the six degrees of separation rule. As a prominent source of the sale of counterfeit goods, U.S.-based eBay has been sued by […]
Twitter is a new Internet social networking phenomenon. It is a “service for friends, family, and co-workers, to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” I have not yet jumped onto the Twitter bandwagon, but perhaps I should. At the very least, I […]
Over this past week, the Members of the European Parliament have been deliberating over a new proposal for a pan-European copyright licensing system for digital content. Proposed on Tuesday in Strasbourg by Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, and Meglena Kuneva, Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, the new plan would pave the way for […]
The April 15, 2009 decision by a CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority) domain name dispute resolution Panel (the Panel) marks the first clear finding of “reverse domain name hijacking.” This phrase refers to the practice of acquiring domain names from owners by accusing them of violating trade-marks with the domain name and demanding that the […]
On May 4th, the Ontario Bar Association presented “Intellectual Property Issues in a Non-IP Context”. This conference brought together professionals from several practice areas, such as criminal law, insurance law and employment law. The focus of the conference was to draw attention to the variety of IP issues that exist within many areas of the […]
Jacqueline Lipton is a Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University. She is Co-Director for the Center of Law, Technology, and the Arts, and the Associate Director of the Frederick K Cox International Law Center. Professor Lipton is also an IP Osgoode Research Affiliate. As Facebook welcomes its 200 millionth active user, now is […]