Copyright & Social Media
Communications Law
Formula 1 and IP – Why F1 and Patents Don’t Mesh
Hi everyone, As the new Formula 1 (F1) season is fast approaching, the first race of the season being on March 20th, I was curious about how F1 handles IP. This curiosity is derived from the innovation that F1 exhibits each season. For those that do not know, each year each F1 team has to […]
Vaccines and IP Law – Should vaccine patents be waived in the face of a pandemic?
One interesting topic I thought of in relation to IP law is IP and COVID-19 vaccines. As the wealthy countries of the world vaccinate their populations, even arriving at the stage of providing a third booster dose, developing nations lag significantly far behind in vaccination rates. This is partially due to supply issues as wealthy […]
The Debate Between Author and Connector and Its Relation to Olivia Rodrigo
Today’s discussion in class regarding the debate of author and connector reminded me a lot of a podcast I had listened to a couple months back on Switched on Pop called “Déjà vu: Why Olivia Rodrigo keeps giving up song writing credits”. In this episode, hosts Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan discuss Olivia Rodrigo’s album […]
Trademark Collaborations: Yeezy x Gap, Biebs x Tim’s
If you have been in or around a Tim Horton’s in the past few weeks, you may have seen the current promotion involving Justin Bieber. Beanies, tote bags, Tim Bits boxes and even fanny packs bear the tim x biebs mark. This collaboration is incredibly bizarre to me. Aside from being famously Canadian brands, I […]
Did Mr. Big’s death kill Peloton’s goodwill?
*(spoiler alert if you want to watch the Sex and the City Reboot)* I am sure many of you are familiar with this story, but in case some of us aren’t major ‘Sex in the City’ fans, I thought I would share a brief post on it about a recent trademark issue that came up […]
Did Lululemon Innovate Leggings and Sportsbras?
Hi All, I found this article on patent infringement quite intriguing. Lululemon is suing Peloton for patent infringement in US court on several of its apparel items, namely sports bras and leggings. Maybe this highlights the differences between American and Canadian patent law or maybe this highlights my own ignorance in fashion. However, in Canada, […]
A “Biting” Critique: Greenpeace, Kit Kat, and the Status of Protest in Canadian Trademark Law
It appears to be well established in Canadian courts that intellectual property law should not be used as a tool to stifle political criticism. But practically speaking … can it? In another course this semester I came across an incident that occurred with 2010 when Greenpeace initiated a protest campaign against Kit Kat. It got […]
One Measure of Protection Against Patent Trolls – the License on Transfer (LOT) Network
Hello everyone, Upon seeing Trevor’s presentation on patent trolls earlier this term, I thought that it would be interesting to discuss the LOT (License on Transfer) Network, an organizational network of companies whose goal is to protect members from patent trolls. According to the Network’s website, all member companies of the LOT Network agree that […]
Copyright in Sporting Events? Discussions in the UK House of Lords
Hey all, there was some talk recently in the UK about changing their copyright laws that I figured I would share here. Basically, a few members of the United Kingdom House of Lords have been raising concerns about a loophole that has allowed some bettors to gain an advantage while gambling in horseracing. The ‘trick’ […]
Here be Dragons: Scientific Publishing, Copyright, and the Serials Crisis
BASIC OVERVIEW Five publishers control more than 50% of all scientific publishing (ScienceDaily). These publishers generally have had little to no role in either the funding or creation of the works that they publish, but they enjoy almost all the direct pecuniary rewards from their published material (Guardian). These works are guarded by […]