Copyright & Social Media
Communications Law
Back to the….. Past?
I do not know much about the Beatles except for the fact that there are only two members of the foursome who are still alive. However, imagine my surprise, waking up on November 2 and opening up Twitter only to see the Beatles trending for releasing a new song – and not a re-recorded song […]
AI Can Take Off Your Clothes, But Can Copyright Put Them Back On?
The rapid expansion and progression of AI capabilities has left many excited and impatient to see what the future of AI holds. However, many have warned about the dangers of this rapid advancement without adequate protections.These warnings are becoming more real than ever, as AI is now able to take the clothes off a subject […]
Doll Having Realistic Twisting Midriff
This post has a little to say besides: Check out this article on the CBABC website. It summarizes the genius of Barbie’s brand strategy, which includes leveraging multiple forms of protection—copyright, trademark, patent, and industrial design—for their IP. Another great article about Barbie’s IP in the New Yorker. Both articles discuss how, in addition to […]
Unlocking a Cleaner Future: Upcoming Amendments to the Copyright Act
Canada has an electronic waste problem, and copyright law is partly to blame. Canada’s electronic waste has increased more than threefold over the last two decades, increasing from 8.3 kg per person in 2000 to 25.3 kg per person in 2020. In total, Canada produced approximately one million tonnes of e-waste in 2020. Copyright law […]
Judge dismisses artists’ claims that AI “fed” by their works infringed copyright
Original article: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/judge-pares-down-artists-ai-copyright-lawsuit-against-midjourney-stability-ai-2023-10-30/ Summary: visual artists accuse Stability AI, Midjourney and DevianArt of misusing their copyrighted works in connection with the companies’ generative artificial intelligence systems. Allegations: Stability (AI system) used billions of images “scraped” from the internet, including theirs, without permission to teach Stable Diffusion to create its own images. Outcome: judge dismissed all […]
Week 8 Fall 2023 – Slides & Video
Slides & video below…
Was ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ ripped off?
It’s November, which means that it’s time to take off your Halloween decorations and replace it with Christmas decorations and blast Christmas songs until the best day of the year! It also means that Mariah Carey will once again make millions as people around the world plays her 1994 hit song ‘All I Want for […]
So you want to open a karaoke bar…how do you (legally) get the music?
Hi folks! Recently, I celebrated my 25th birthday and some of my friends took me to one of my all-time favourite establishments – a karaoke bar! I’m no stranger to the scene, but having spent so much time on-stage singing karaoke over the years, I wanted to delve into some of the copyright issues that […]
Is Drake…a bad guy?
Hi Everyone! I hope everyone had a good week so far. As we have now wrapped up copyright, I knew it was my last chance to share a piece of pop-culture (I think?) that has been on my mind. What happened? A while back, American podcaster Bobbi Althoff went viral for her podcast The Really Good […]
“The Invisible Artists of Copyright Jurisprudence: Joint Authorship in Jazz Improvisation under Canadian Law” by Rebecca Noble
Hey folks! Ever wondered if jazz improvisation and copyright law could jam together in harmony? Well, Rebecca Noble decided to play matchmaker and explore this unlikely duo in her paper. It’s a roller coaster ride through legal notes and jazz chords that leaves you pondering – who really owns the rhythm? Dive in to see […]