Until mid-September of 2014, my perspective on legal policy was essentially limited to my experiences writing the policy section embedded in my law school and graduate school essays. This past fall I was fortunate enough to be enrolled in Osgoode’s Intellectual Property Law and Technology Intensive Program and spend a semester at the Department of […]
Converse, a subsidiary of Nike[1], has recently filed 22 separate lawsuits against 31 retailers and shoe designers, claiming trademark infringement for the design of their classic “Converse All Stars” shoes. Defendants include giant retailers Kmart and Wal-Mart and designers such as Sketchers, Fila and H&M.
Nathan Fielder created quite an uproar when he opened up an establishment in Los Feliz, California named “Dumb Starbucks.” According to its FAQ sheet, the store claimed to legally operate under US parody laws.
IP Osgoode and the Genest Memorial Fund hosted an electric and vibrant panel on Thursday, October 10 to discuss the newly enacted User-Generated Content (UGC) provision in the Copyright Act. While there were many disagreements between proponents and skeptics of the provision, the panellists all seemed to agree on one thing – it’s legislative ambiguity.
When it comes to fan-fiction, it seems that the new User-Generated Content (UGC) exception to copyright infringement endorses the common cliché that imitation is the finest form of flattery.