Copyright & Social Media
Communications Law
Patents on Plant Breeding: A Growing Threat to Innovation and Diversity
I wanted to share a quick summary of an interesting article I came across in NZZ (Swiss newspaper) about intellectual property issues related to plant breeding and patents in Europe. The article, written by Simon Degelo, highlights how patents on genetically engineered plants are becoming a growing problem, particularly for smaller breeding companies. Although patents on plant […]
Interesting short segment from CBC’s the Early Edition on whether AI should be open sourced
I heard this short segment by chance the other day about whether AI should be open sourced. It includes an interesting suggestion that OpenAI has arguably increasingly deviated from their initial mission of increasing access to AI. Still not sure about my own opinion on this, as I think there could be valid arguments for […]
The White Stripes suing Trump for copyright Infringement
I have been the drummer and founding member of the internationally touring locally based Vancouver alternative rock/pop band Meltt since 2014. This has brought the complicated and expansive world of IP law in the music and entertainment industry into my day-to-day work life and has fascinated me ever since. This article (published yesterday Sept 9th, […]
“COPYCAT?” – Call of Duty: Warzone’s Resurgence vs Fortnite’s Reload
This one’s for my fellow game lovers. As a devoted Fortnite fan, I’ve always appreciated its simplicity and fun. Call of Duty, on the other hand, has always felt more complex to me. Despite this, I’ve spent time watching others play Call of Duty, and I couldn’t help but notice the striking similarities between these […]
A Guide for Canadian Medical Illustrators: What Are My Intellectual Property Rights?
Most people don’t think about the artists behind the diagrams in their science textbooks. These artworks are often photocopied by high school teachers onto science tests, becoming almost unrecognizable as students are asked to label a plant cell that is monochrome and blurry. In reality, medical illustrators have, for a long time, helped us better […]
Are domain names deemed intellectual property in Canada?
What is a domain name? A domain name is unique text that can be entered into a web browser to access websites. The unique text maps on to an alphanumeric IP address linked to a specific website.[i] How are domain names managed? A non-profit organisation called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names […]
Copyright and (Collaborative) Authorship: Who gets to be a joint author for the purpose of copyright?
For my final project, I wanted to discuss the idea of joint authorship in copyright law, and highlight a few works that underscore what I anticipate will become an increasingly pressing issue for creatives, especially writers, in the coming decades.[1] Being an “author” has a certain level of cultural cachet, similar to how being an […]
Golf and Intellectual Property: Protection of Tournament Format and Golf Course Design
For my final project, I decided to look into intellectual property rights related to golf. I recently started playing golf and decided to watch the Netflix golf documentary, Full Swing, in the hopes that merely watching these talented players would translate into improvements in my own game. This strategy has not yet proven to be […]
An Analysis of Reversionary Interest in Canada and Termination Rights the United States
An Analysis of Reversionary Interest in Canada and Termination Rights the United States By: Farhia Mohamad & Japneet Gudh Introduction For our project, we’ve decided to examine reversionary rights in Canada and Termination Rights in the United States, as they are two doctrines that have similar results but are vastly different in process. CANADIAN REVERSIONARY […]
Chick-fil-A’s Feathers Ruffled? Foreign Goodwill and Trademark
As I was walking in Vancouver I passed a restaurant using the word Chick, and using the C to depict a chicken. This immediately led to thoughts about whether this could be a problem in comparison to Chick-fil-A. While there does not appear to be any news on the possibility for infringement, this case may […]