Amendments to the Copyright Act proclaimed into force *

Canada - November 15 2012
On November 7, 2012, the majority of the provisions of the Copyright Modernization Act were proclaimed into force.

Co-authors: Ryan Steeves.

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Eyes wide shut: IP ownership *

Canada - June 21 2012
Generally, the default position taken by the federal government is that it owns all “Intellectual Property” rights in the “Foreground Information” as soon as it comes into existence and that the contractor has no rights to the Foreground Information except as granted by the federal government.

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Amendments to the Copyright Act expected to pass with the re-introduction of the Copyright Modernization Act as Bill C-11 *

Canada - October 7 2011
After Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act, died on the order table following the last election, the Government of Canada re-introduced on September 29, 2011 the Copyright Modernization Act as Bill C-11 with the exact same text as previously proposed under Bill C-32.

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The Supreme Court of Canada allows masterpiece’s appeal and expunges Alavida’s registration *

Canada - May 27 2011
In a strongly-worded and highly anticipated decision, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) unanimously allowed Masterpiece Inc.'s appeal in Masterpiece Inc. v. Alavida Lifestyles Inc. and ordered the expungement of Alavida Lifestyle Inc.’s registration for the trade-mark MASTERPIECE LIVING from the Canadian trade-marks Register based on the prior use by Masterpiece of unregistered trade-marks and trade names containing the element MASTERPIECE.

Co-authors: Kathleen Lemieux .

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Bill C-32: proposed amendments to the Copyright Act *

Canada - September 27 2010
After failed attempts in 2006 and 2008, the Canadian government tabled Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act before the House of Commons on June 2, 2010.

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