Communications Law
Polo Ralph Lauren v. U.S. POLO ASSN. – A 38-year Trademark Saga
(Professor Festinger please mark this post for my 20%) Introduction In class a few weeks back we compared the two penguin designs that were the subjects of the case, Promafil Canada Ltée v. Munsingwear Inc. This case got me thinking of two logos that have caused me some confusion personally. Polo Ralph Lauren (PRL) and […]
The Effect of US Imposed Sanctions on Patents in Russia
Hi everyone, as we were studying about patents and due to the current climate, I feel it is only relevant to talk about the situation occurring between Russia, Ukraine and wider global involvement. I came across this article by Mark Mathison (Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP) which spoke about the western sanctions imposed on Russia due to […]
Granting of Patent in the United Kingdom (“UK”) – requirement and duration.
This paper is written as a piece for participation in the Intellectual Property (“IP”) Course, April 2022. It gives a summary of patent law in the UK. Following our first lecture on patents in Canada, I decided it might be a good idea to briefly discuss the requirement for granting patents in the UK and […]
The Role of Copyright Law in the Music Industry
Hi everyone! I’m Prince and I’m an exchange student over from Scotland, UK. I have attached my short piece on the role of copyright law in the Canadian music industry. I chose this particular topic as I am a musician myself and wanted to enlighten myself to the Canadian Industry. We didn’t cover too much […]
Psychedelics and the “Rainbow Rush”
Introduction In the time leading up to legalization of marijuana in Canada, a “green rush” swept the Toronto Stock Exchange. Money poured into companies starting up to service both the Canadian and U.S. markets. It has only been about 5 years post legalization and already there are clear signs of the impending psychedelic surge. Studies […]
Wordle Copycats & IP Law
By now, I am sure most of us have either heard of or played the daily brainteaser Wordle. The online 5-letter word game developed by Josh Wardle, a Brooklyn-based software engineer, is released daily. Players have six attempts to guess the word of the day. Simple enough. But, with any new internet craze, comes those […]
NFTs and IP in Dance Moves?
Hello everyone, I found this article describing a performance on the Ellen DeGeneres show that featured NFT animated dancers: https://decrypt.co/95735/nft-band-debuts-singer-kiesza-ellen-degeneres-show. The dance moves executed by the dancers (who are Chewbacca-like rainbow-coloured furry humanoids) are apparently stored on the blockchain. What’s interesting in the context of this course is how the artist leading the performance suggests […]
Encanto: Disney’s trademark applications
Hi everyone, I’ve been loving the movie and soundtrack of “Encanto” lately, so I thought I’d do a dive into its trademark applications to the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). Here are a few interesting and fun facts: I found 10 separate “Disney Encanto” trademark applications. 2 are of the “stylized script”: *click […]
David v Goliath: A glimpse into a Danish case on Trademarks
Being an exchange student from Denmark I figured it would be interesting to give everyone a glimpse into Danish trademark law by looking at a case. The case will provide some insight into how trademarks are delt with in Danish law. I also find the aftermath of this specific case particularly interesting, because it shows […]
Fanfiction wars: a lesson in the difference between trademark and copyright
Yesterday, Young Adult novelist Laura Silverman tweeted that one of her candles she was selling was being taken down for Trademark infringement. Silverman’s candle, which she was selling on Etsy, had a label that read: “Go Away, I’m Reading Fanfiction.” This was allegedly an infringement on the “Harry Potter” trademark, but Silverman noted that she […]