Communications Law
“Network Article 23”: The Major Stumbling Block to the Development of Copyright Protection in Hong Kong
With the rapid technological development, it is getting easier and easier for people to gain access to copyrighted materials, to download, alter and modify their content, and to share the copies online. To strengthen copyright protection in this technological era, the Hong Kong government has launched a consultation process in 2006 to make amendment to […]
8 x 8: It’s More Complicated Than You Think
This post was written by Braydon Massoud. He currently is knee-deep in tax law and couldn’t get access to post, so I’m posting for him. Hi everyone, in choosing which topic to write about I decided to pick chess, because it feels like a fun case study in which to apply the copyright laws […]
Do It Yourself: Did you really?
I recently watched Meghan Maulucci’s video linked in her IP Law post “Meg’s IP Law Knitting Circle: Protecting Crochet Creators”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQbF4o5uGII&ab_channel=MeghanMaulucci Meghan’s video examines whether we should revise the current legal understanding of what is copyrightable. She notes (starting at 2:30) that in the U.S. context, copyright doesn’t protect certain classes of works, like fashion […]
Rights, Raps, and Robots: Drake’s Voice Mimicked by AI – Is it a ‘Hotline Bling’ or a Copyright Sting?
By: James Miller and Ajay Partap Gill Canadian copyright law, as embodied in the Copyright Act of Canada, seeks to strike a delicate balance between the rights of creators and the public interest in accessing and using creative works. The advent of AI generated voices in music has challenged the objectives of Copyright law […]
Jack Daniels vs Dog Toy Maker
A while back, I read about this interesting case about Jack Daniels, the alcohol company, suing a Dog Toy Maker for trademark infringement. The dog toy says “Old No. 2 on your Tennessee Carpet”, while the whiskey bottle reads “Old No. 7 Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey”. The bottle of liquor says “40% alcohol by […]
Generative AI companies being sued for copyright infringement
With the hype of Generative AI companies, many legal issues around Generative AI companies are coming up. A trio of artists launched a lawsuit against Stability AI and Midjourney, creators of AI art generators Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, and artist portfolio platform DeviantArt, which recently created its own AI art generator, DreamUp. The artists — […]
EMINEM TAKES ON TWO ‘REAL HOUSEWIVES’ STARS OVER SLIM SHADY TRADEMARK
Eminem has filed a trademark opposition against a trademark application filed by two Real Housewives stars from the Real Housewives of Potomac. In February 2022, Robyn Dixon and Gizelle Bryant filed a trademark application for the term “Reasonably Shady, they sought registration of the term months before their first podcast episode aired , but it […]
Intersectionality and Intellectual Property Law: Indigenous Copyright and Trademarks
Our textbook introduced the topic of Indigenous storytelling and how it may not meet the fixation requirement because it is an oral (unwritten) tradition. I would like to elaborate on that by sharing how the Gitxsan Nation (my Nation) understands ownership of our stories, dances, and works of art. As you may surmise, Gitxsan laws […]
Kobe Bryant’s Dream Lives On With New Mamba Cup Trademark
The estate of Late Los Angeles Lakers Icon Kobe Bryant filed paperwork on the 28th of January 2023 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to trademark “Kobe Bryant, Mamba Forever , and Mambacita” for a range of virtual and digital goods including art, clothing, sporting goods, avatars, toys, games, trading cards and […]
USPTO DENIES MEGHAN MARKLE TRADEMARK APPLICATION FOR ‘ARCHETYPES
In 2022 Meghan Markle Publicized her new podcast Archetypes, and announced that the aim of the podcast was to dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back. The podcats episodes were aired weekly and the production was essentially a success, as it received a People’s Choice Award . Subsequently, Archewell Audio […]