Copyright & Social Media
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Harvard Mouse – Epic Rap Battle Ver.
Term Project by Michelle Lee The link to the video is at the bottom. A few weeks ago, I learned that in 2003, a defamation suit was brought against the rapper Eminem by his childhood bully for allegedly slandering him in the song “Brain Damage”. The judge gave a ruling in the form of rap. […]
Copyright in Clothing? Rights and Remedies in Fashion IP
Term Assignment by Maria Liu The fashion industry is a complex area where IP law protection is important but less defined than in traditional art industries. In fashion, trademarks play a greater role than copyright, which usually protects literary, music, and other artistic works. Copyright generally does not extend to functional items like clothing but […]
Murals, Graffiti, and the Law: Art on the Edge
Introduction Street art contributes significantly to the cultural and visual identity of urban landscapes. It encompasses a wide range of works. This paper will focus on two types of street art: murals and graffiti. While the first is typically commissioned or created with the permission of the property owner, city, or organization, the latter is often unauthorized and done without permission, making it a […]
Vantablack: Can you Own a Colour?
Can you own a color? Well, Anish Kapoor does—or at least, he exclusively owns the right to use one of the blackest materials ever made: Vantablack. Developed and patented by Surrey NanoSystems, Vantablack is a substance so dark it absorbs 99.96% of visible light. It’s created using a cutting-edge process that grows microscopic carbon nanotubes, […]
Tesla’s Open Source Revolution: Balancing Corporate Strategy and Public Good
Hi everyone! This is my term paper. Congratulations on finishing the exams, and have a great holiday season 🙂 As someone deeply interested in corporate innovations, I’ve always been drawn to stories that challenge traditional ways of thinking. Growing up, I was fascinated by how technology could reshape our lives—whether it was seeing the early […]
Muerto Mouse: Disney’s Monopoly over Intellectual Property Law
Introduction Coco is my favourite Disney movie. When I learned we could choose any topic for this project, my mind immediately went to the film—I was touched by the story of Miguel Rivera, a young boy living in the fictional town of Santa Cecilia, Mexico, trying to balance his love for music and his family’s […]
POP QUIZ!
This is not a post to explore some recent IP news or to discuss anything all that sophisticated or groundbreaking. I thought this might a bit fun and a good warm up for the exam on Tuesday. This could also be a great opportunity to squeeze in some last minute participation marks. So, I invite […]
Trivial or not trivial?
One historical copyright case that I was familiar with prior to this course was centered around the theft of trivia. After taking the course, I am now looking at this case with a different perspective and wonder how it would be decided under current Canadian Law. Fred Worth from California published two books of trivia. […]
“My Name Is” – Trademark within hiphop?
“Murda on the Beat, so it’s not nice”, “We got London on the Track”, “Young chop on the beat”. If you have listened to popular music in the past decade, particularly hip-hop, you have likely heard recurring phrases such as these included at the start of a song. These clips are known as “producer tags” […]
Against Intellectual Property: Final Project
*This post is submitted as my final project for the course* AGAINST INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY In this essay, I argue that intellectual property (“IP”) cannot be justified by property rights alone, as it is based on artificially created scarcity. IP rights are rights to intangible things, which, by definition, cannot be scarce. […]