Privacy Law Commons^™

No Lego, Yes Logo: The Federal Court Of Appeal Protects Innovation In Kirkbi Ag And Lego Canada Inc. V. Ritvik Holdings Inc., Sean Robertson

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article will discuss the case at the trial and appellate levels. It will specifically address the underlying policy debate between the majority and the dissenting decisions at the Federal Court of Appeal. The author will compare this debate to two similar international cases involving Lego’s infamous intellectual property litigation. With this recent finding in the 40-year-old saga of international case law surrounding Lego’s trade-mark enforcement strategy, the Appeal Division of the Federal Court of Canada joins the ranks of several other courts that have similarly excluded protection for Lego based on the doctrine of functionality. The comment concludes with …

The Law Of Privacy In Canada (Student Edition) By Barbara A. Mcisaac, Rick Shields, Kris Klein (Toronto: Thomson Carswell, 2004), John D. Gregory

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

To help lawyers advise their clients on their rights and obligations in this complex and novel field, the various legal publishers have offered an array of guides and textbooks analyzing the law of privacy. Thomson/Carswell turned for its book to the national law firm of McCarthy Tétrault. Three McCarthy lawyers (Barbara McIsaac, Rick Shields, and Kris Klein) are listed as authors of The Law of Privacy in Canada, and several others have contributed significant parts of the text, and they have done a creditable job in pulling it all together. It seems to be the only thorough and up-to-date analysis …

Recalibrating Copyright Law?: A Comment On The Supreme Court Of Canada's Decision In Cch Canadian Limited Et Al. V. Law Society Of Upper Canada, Teresa Scassa

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision in CCH Canadian Ltd. et. al. v. Law Society of Upper Canada marks a second recent decision by the Court that has major implications for the development of copyright law in Canada. In Théberge v. Galerie D’Art du Petit Champlain, the majority of the Court provided a significant articulation of the balance to be struck between the rights of creators and the rights of users of copyright-protected works. In doing so, it embraced an approach to copyright typical of U.S. copyright law in its heyday. The unanimous Court in CCH Canadian makes it …

Ef Cultural Travel V. Explorica: The Protection Of Confidential Commercial Information In The American And Canadian Contexts, Suzanne White

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Commercial information, once relegated to paper files stored in cabinets, is now more likely to be in digital form, allowing a myriad of people to access its contents. These electronic storehouses can subsequently be stored on the Internet, providing a handy but some- what risky means of archiving valuable information. The United States Court of Appeals (1st Circ.) judgment EF Cultural Travel v. Explorica1 is a clear indicator of the way in which the advent of the Internet has completely changed the constructive meaning of the traditional ‘‘office file’’. This paper attempts to provide an under- standing of the scope …

Electronic Commerce - A Practitioner's Guide Edited By Alan M. Gahtan, Martin P.J. Kratz, And J. Fraser Mann (Toronto: Thomson Carwell, 2003), Harmonie Roesch-West

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

At a time when there seems to be no clear consensus on how to regulate electronic commerce comes a much-needed discussion of the many salient factors impacting the matter in Electronic Commerce: A Practitioner’s Guide. The collaborative effort includes works from several authors, compiled by Alan M. Gahtan, Martin P.J. Kratz, and J. Fraser Mann. This guide is an excellent first step in clarifying the issues and summarizing the precedents and relevant statute law to date. Although the target is an audience of law professionals, other e-commerce stakeholders, including business pro- fessionals, will find this collection useful.

Of Neighbours And Netizens, Or, Duty Of Care In The Tech Age: A Comment On Cooper V. Hobart, Robert J. Currie

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The focal point of this comment will be the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada in Cooper v. Hobart, which appears to have made some significant changes to the elements of ‘‘duty of care’’, the foundational negligence concept. The Court framed its decision as refining duty of care analysis in order to properly deal with ‘‘novel claims’’ (i.e., those for which there is not an established or analogous duty of care in the existing case law). Given that the growth of elec- tronic commerce and Internet usage continues to spawn ‘‘novel’’ legal issues, Cooper is an appropriate starting …

A Chose By Any Other Name: Domain Names As A Security Interest, Andrew B. Cochran

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

There has been increasing study of the issues involved in using intellectual property as a security interest, but little corresponding consideration of domain names. The ascendancy in value of domain names to modern business increases their usefulness as a security interest to lenders and borrowers alike. Their use in this respect appears not to be weighed down by two of the most difficult issues facing intellectual property, namely conflicting jurisdiction between federal statutory interests and provincial property interests, together with establishing more readily acceptable methods of valuation. However, there is ambiguity about the actual form of ownership interest involved with …

Is The Acpa A Safe Haven For Trademark Infringers? - Rethinking The Unilateral Application Of The Lanham Act, 22 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 655 (2004), Jinku Hwang

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) was enacted in 1999 as a response to international disputes over Internet domain names because according to the Congress’ point of view, courts could not successfully protected American businesses in cases where nothing more that the registration of a trademark or its variation in a domain name had occurred. This article analyzes recent court decisions regarding domain name disputes after the enactment of ACPA focusing on reverse domain name hijacking in international, trademark related and gTLD disputes. The author argues that the in rem jurisdiction provided by the ACPA and the consequent extraterritorial effect …

Balancing Individual Privacy Rights And The Rights Of Trademark Owners In Access To The Whois, 38 J. Marshall L. Rev. 357 (2004), Jeffrey Stephen Sobek

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Following The Right Lead: Gutnick And The Dance Of Internet Jurisdiction, Mary Paterson

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

As improving methods of travel and communication facilitated the shift from an agrarian to an industrial society, the common law courts increasingly faced interjurisdictional disputes. Although British paternalism dominated early cases in which courts assumed jurisdiction over people, property, and actions in distant lands, these cases and the imperial attitudes informing them were slowly replaced by more modest jurisdictional assertions based on a sense of comity. The shift from an industrial society to an information-based society and the simultaneous growth of a global infrastructure based on satellite, telephone, cable, and cellular technologies have stretched jurisdictional doctrines in new ways, calling …

Turning Worms: Some Thoughts On Liabilities For Spreading Computer Infections, Richard Owens

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Two aspects of the virus/worm liability problem are of particular note. The first is how tightly the Internet binds together many possible defendants; those who build and run it, those who populate it with increasingly complex electronic commerce Web sites, those who provide terminal software, those who send electronic mails, those who design its security algorithms, those who insure it, and those who hack it, amongst others.

The second aspect is how speculative such a review is. Little case law pertains. Even the language of the law(what does it really mean when we assess liability on the basis of a …

Les Consommateurs Et Les Clubs Vidéo Ont-Ils Le Droit De Modifier Les Films À Leur Guise?, René Pépin

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Dans un premier temps, nous voulons étudier le litige en cours. Même si aucune décision sur le fond n’est susceptible d’être rendue à court terme, nous pouvons scruter les prétentions des parties et voir l’état du droit aux États-Unis sur ce sujet. Nous examinerons ensuite comment cette problématique serait traitée au Canada.

Et c’est ici que la question soulevée dans le litige revêt tout son intérêt, car elle met en jeu des notions fonda- mentales en matière de droit d’auteur. On devra ainsi se demander si le fait pour une personne ou une entreprise de retrancher des séquences représentant quelques …

Law As Film: Representing Justice In The Age Of Moving Images, Shulamit Almog, Ely Aharonson

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Two main theses are presented here. The first is that there is a conceptual resemblance between the ways in which messages are transmitted in the courtroom and the ways in which they are transmitted in the cinema. The second is that the evolution of legal procedure is being influenced by developments taking place in visual culture generally and film specifically. Taken together, these theses lead to the conclusion that the development of a theory of ‘‘law-as-film’’ can provide insights into the contemporary practice of law that might otherwise be overlooked.

Foreign Investment Restrictions As Industrial Policy: The Case Of Canadian Telecommunications, Robert Crandall, Hal Singer

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

We assess the economic harms that would accrue if Canada were to adopt asymmetric rules of foreign ownership for incumbent carriers and entrants. We explain the current Canadian regulatory climate surrounding foreign investment in Canadian telecommunications. Competition in the telecommunications industry is generally robust, which suggests that rules aimed at favouring entrants are not necessary. Moreover, Canadian entrants are equally capable of attracting foreign capital as Canadian incumbents, which suggests that foreign investment rules aimed at favouring entrants are especially unwise.

Next, we review the U.S. attempt to stimulate competition in local telecommunications markets through an analogous form of asymmetrical …

Intellectual Property Laws In Harmony With Nafta: The Courts As Mediators Between The Global And The Local, Myra J. Tawfik

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will argue that domestic courts can pro- vide a forum within which to mediate between these two extremes, to reconcile the ‘‘global’’ and the ‘‘local’’ — but that the courts themselves must adapt to meet the challenges that globalization places upon them. More specifically, the paper begins by setting out a framework for understanding harmonization of laws under NAFTA as one that encourages rather than eliminates diversity of law. The paper then studies the prevailing approaches to statutory interpretation that Canadian courts, most especially the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal, have been employing …

Computer Law By George S. Takach (Toronto: Irwin Law Inc., 2000, 2nd Edition), David T.S. Fraser

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Banning Bans On New Reproductive And Novel Genetic Technologies, Matthew Herder

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Commentators argue that statutory prohibitions with the force of the criminal law should not be used to regulate new reproductive technologies (NRTs) and novel genetic technologies (NGTs). Bill C-13, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, however, codifies 10 criminal bans. This paper considers the merits of the various arguments levied against Bill C-13, and the corollary claim that only a "non-prohibitive" model of legislation befits NRTs and NGTs. Three types of arguments are used to critique criminal bans: (1) "Structural" arguments hinge on the constraints of the Canadian legal system - legislation complete with prohibitions runs afoul of the Constitution Act …

Student Protector, Internet Provider, Or Contractual Party? An Examination Of The Legal Relationship Between A University And Its Students, Anna Christine Milot

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The legal relationship between a university and its students is becoming increasingly complex as the use of technology spreads. Accordingly, it is important to define a university’s responsibilities and legal boundaries in order to understand the liability universities can potentially incur when dealing with students. Each Canadian university is unique in its founding and enacting legislation, as will be discussed further later. The individuality of Canada’s universities means that the questions raised in this paper cannot be given answers that can necessarily be generalized across universities. The approach to analysis in this paper, however, is applicable to any of the …

Technology And International Trade: Wille The Real Transformer Please Stand Up?, Todd Weiler

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The primary driver of change in Canada’s cultural sector has not been some kind of contrived, neo- liberal plot imposed upon an unsuspecting public with the promise of ‘‘jobs, jobs, jobs.’’ Rather, it has been technology. The role for liberalised trade and investment treaties comes only in the form of a conditioning force, limiting the panoply of choices available to govern- mental officials who want to respond to the changes being wrought by technological advances.

This paper begins with some brief definitions, moving next to an elaboration of its thesis, and finally explaining the application of this thesis to some …

Anonymity And The Supreme Court's Model Of Expression: How Should Anonymity Be Analysed Under Section 2(B) Of The Charter?, Peter Carmichael Keen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The first part of this article will discuss what anonymity is, and the costs and benefits that anonymity confers on expressive activity. I will demonstrate that anonymity is a double-edged sword in that it can both promote and harm free expression. In the second part, I will suggest that there is no doubt that anonymity can be protected under section 2(b) of the Charter. When I first began this article, I intended to examine ‘‘whether’’ anonymity can be constitutionally protected under section 2(b). As my research progressed, I quickly realised that I was asking the wrong question. I discovered that …

Rescuing The Balance?: An Assessment Of Canada's Proposal To Limit Isp Liability For Online Copyright Infringement, Scott Nesbitt

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper attempts both to explain the technological and legal imperatives pressing Canada to address the issue of ISP liability in reforms to the Copyright Act and to raise some concerns about the impact of the government’s proposed amendments in this area. The basic elements of copyright law, the impact of digital technology on copyright and the policy arguments surrounding ISP liability are briefly discussed to set the context for judicial treatment of and legislative action on this issue. Next, the paper focuses on the development of American jurisprudence with respect to limitation of ISP liability for third party copyright …

Patent First, Litigate Later! The Scramble For Speculative And Overly Broad Genetic Patents: Implications For Access To Health Care And Biomedical Research, Ikechi Mgbeoji, Byron Allen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will not directly address the ethical considerations of allowing patents on human genetic sequences, although this continues to be a controversial debate in itself. Rather, the aim is to consider the legality of such gene patents and the effects such patents have on biomedical research and health care delivery in definitive terms through an analysis of current developments and research relating to the subject. The operation of current intellectual property regimes regulating such patents will be examined, and amendments to these legal systems will be considered. An emphasis will be placed on identifying practical concerns rather than broad, …

Beyond Convergence And The New Media Decisions: Regulatory Models In Communications Law, Melanie Mortensen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

While technological and economic changes have been the most influential factors in stimulating recent policy and regulatory reassessments in Canada with respect to telecommunications and broadcasting regulation, public interest and socio-political concerns should also remain significant in the design of new regulatory and policy responses to convergence and competition. When the CRTC announced that it would refrain from regulating broadcasting in new media for a period of five years, this occasion illustrated the increasing inapplicability of the sector-specific legislation from which the mandate of the CRTC is derived.

The first model addressed is the present sector-specific policy and regulatory treatment …

Fast Track Trade Authority And The Free Trade Agreements: Implications For Copyright Law, Samuel Trosow

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act, which restored the presidential fast-track trade-promotion authority that had lapsed in 1994. Fast-track trade promotion authority is a means by which Congress delegates to the president a portion of its constitutional authority over international trade policy. This paper reviews the development, scope, and application of fast-track trade-promotion authority, evaluates some of the copyright provisions in key Free Trade Agreements, and concludes that the process has been effectively captured by the information and entertainment industries. There are numerous negative consequences that flow from the resulting policy environment. Not only is an …

Trade Secret Reclamation: An Equitable Approach In A Relative World, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 227 (2003), William L. O'Brien

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The only possible IP protection is a trade secret. However, trade secrets are inadvertently disclosed in investment disclosures or to prospective customers. The article offers a solution to this dilemma by creating emphasis on the continued retention of the secret, even though confidentiality of it could have been dissipating.

Alcatel Usa, Inc. V. Brown: Does Your Boss Own Your Brain?, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 295 (2003), Jim C. Lai

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Critizing the Alcatel USA, Inc. v. Brown court’s holding that a company owned rights to a software idea that existed entirely in the thoughts of one of it’s former employee’s. Discusses how the court did not take into account that (1) the invention disclosure agreement it secured from the employer was unenforceable, (2) the Solution was not an “invention” as recognized by U.S. intellectual property law, and (3) the development of an automatic decompiler was not within the scope of the company’s business or employee’s work. Arguing while it is reasonable for an employer to require its employees to disclose …

Curbing Copyright Infringement In Cyberspace: Using Mediakey To Stop The Bleeding, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 325 (2003), John R. Perkins Jr.

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article discusses a solution to copyright infringement on the Internet. The solution combines legal and technical aspects so the solution is very specific but also practical. The paper proposes a solution to use technological protection similar to that found in the federal statute prohibiting circumvention of technological protection measures. The paper then concludes with how difficult his solution and other proposed changes will be to enact because of opposition it will receive from many sides.

Locked Out: The New Hazards Of Reverse Engineering, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 601 (2003), Carla Meninsky

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In this article, Meninsky contends the technological practice of reverse engineering of replacements parts and other interoperable products, which has been used to circumvent digital locks and otherwise gain access to copyrighted material and information protected as trade secrets, has been upheld by courts as fair use. This practice is discussed within the context of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), which prohibits methods employed to “circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a copyrighted work” while providing a limited exemption for reverse engineers in certain circumstances. Meninsky finds that the DMCA, in effect, thwarts competition, stunts technological …

Are You Content With The Content? Intellectual Property Implications Of Weblog Publishing, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 439 (2003), Attiya Malik

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The publicity about weblogs has neglected to warn against the risks of legal liability. Whether you want to impart words of wisdom or copy something that caught your interest, the temptation to "borrow" is too great and too easy in Cyberspace. Whereas the typical Internet user may have heard of "copyright" or "trademark," they are unaware of the complexities and nuances of these areas of law. The legal tests and standards may be too sophisticated for the average user. Even practitioners and courts are grappling with what legal standards and interpretations are to be applied in Cyberspace, thus, leading to …

Privacy Property, Information Costs, And The Anticommons, Edward J. Janger

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.