Communications Law
Indigenous Intellectual Property
In order to look deeper into the Indigenous Intellectual Property issues, let’s start with two anecdotes from Hugh Stephen’s blog (https://hughstephensblog.net/2019/10/08/can-copyright-law-protect-indigenous-culture-if-not-what-is-the-answer/). Great Bear Rainforest, is a pro-environment documentary film that was produced by Heiltsuk First Nation. Mr. Byron Horner holds the copyrights of the film and is legally entitled to use it. The issue raises […]
The Tangled Web of Rights to Spider-Man
Long before Disney’s Marvel films dominated the box office, Marvel, still an independent company, sold the rights to Spider-Man to Sony in 1998. Marvel retained the comics rights, but Sony could produce films with the character and sell merchandise – if you’ve ever wondered there always seems to be a new Spider-Man film on […]
Week 10: Slides & Video, November 22, 2021
Video & slides below… Jon
Twitch streaming and Canadian Copyright Law: Do ‘React Andys’ get Copyright protection?
For the uninitiated, Twitch is website on which content ‘Creators’ perform for audiences around the world. That performance is called ‘streaming’. As a consumer of Twitch content, I have always been curious about the copyright implications of streaming. Especially given the rise of ‘Just Chatting’ streams, where the Creators often merely just watch (and react) […]
“Right to Repair’ – A Brief History, The Modern Issue, & Why Legislation is Needed
Hi All, I wanted to provide a follow-up to the story about the ‘right to repair’ iPhones that I highlighted at the start of our October 25th class. This will also serve as my post/ presentation component of the class. Right to repair Most people are familiar with the concept of ‘right to repair’ especially […]
Miramax Suing Tarantino Over NFTs
Hi everyone. I thought some of you might be interested in this news, especially any film-buffs out there. News came this week that Miramax has filed a lawsuit against one of their most well-known collaborators, director Quentin Tarantino. The entertainment company (founded by the Weinstein brothers) produced some of Tarantino’s most popular films, including the […]
Subway v Budway: Missed Opportunity to Develop the Doctrine of Initial Interest Confusion
This summer, I was driving down Clark drive when I saw what I believed to be the Subway logo on a store front; however, upon closer inspection, I realized the logo said “Budway”. I googled “Budway” and discovered it was a cannabis store. I wondered how Budway could be getting away with such a blatant […]
Week 9: Slides & Video, November 15, 2021
Video & slides below… Jon
Are Paparazzi Pictures Weaponized Copyright?
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-05/lisa-rinna-paparazzi-lawsuit Hey everyone, It was fascinating to read this article yesterday, especially in light of the discussion we had in class about Emily Ratajkowski’s re-publishing of paparazzi images, which I considered to be particularly relevant. It has been reported that Lisa Rinna is being sued for publishing paparazzi images of herself to her social media […]
Week 8: Slides & Video, November 8, 2021
Slides & video below… Jon