In a last minute effort to avoid a government shutdown, on December 21, 2020 Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
Late-night law may have big impact on IP owners
Stuff of folklore: the sale of Taylor Swift’s masters
Scooter Braun and Ithaca Holding’s recent acquisition of the record label Big Machine Records and, most importantly, the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s first 6 albums is no love story. Indeed, Scooter Braun’s subsequent USD $300 million sale of these
China quietly updates its Copyright Law
On 11 November 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed the amendments to the China Copyright Law (the Amendments), which will take effect on 1 June 2021. This is the third time the Copyright Law has
Are golf polos out of tune with the law?
What do Bill Murray and Donald J. Trump have in common?
At first glance, very little, one is a comedian and actor, the other is, of course, President!
Yet, while everything drives them apart, both are golf enthusiasts, one owns
Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Damages for Canadian E-Commerce Copyright Infringement
In Rallysport Direct LLC v 2424508 Ontario Ltd, 2020 FC 794, the Canadian Federal Court awarded $357,500 in statutory damages and $50,000 in punitive damages for infringement of copyright in 1,430 photographs.
Background
Rallysport Direct LLC (RSD
Insights from the Australian Intellectual Property Report 2020
Intellectual Property (IP) Australia published their 2020 edition of the Australian IP Report (the IP Report) on 24 April 2020. The IP Report, which can be accessed here, provides a current overview of the IP sector
Courts Across Canada Continue Reopening Plans
Please see our updated version of this article, published July 10, 2020.
Update – Response from Canadian Courts to COVID-19
As many Canadian jurisdictions begin to relax certain social distancing measures, it is time for an update on the status
Canadian Court Openings Begin – Closure Updates May 1
Please see our updated version of this article, published July 10, 2020.
As a further update to our post earlier this week, the Federal Court and British Columbia Supreme Court issued updated notices, and Quebec has extended its declaration of
Government edicts doctrine precludes legislators from claiming copyright protection
In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court held in Georgia et al v. Public.Resource.Org., Inc. (No. 18-1150) (April 27, 2020) that the state of Georgia is not entitled to copyright protection for its official annotated code.
The Copyright Act grants expansive rights for “original works of authorship.” 17 U.S.C. § 102(a). Georgia claimed it was the “author” of the Georgia official annotated code (“OCGA”) and, as the author, enjoyed rights as the copyright owner of the entire work. As the copyright owner, Georgia sought to prevent Public.Resource.Org (“PRO”) from posting digital versions of the Georgia annotated code on various websites without charge and without Georgia’s consent.
Court Suspensions Continue, with Some Exceptions
Please see our updated version of this article, published July 10, 2020.
An Update on the Response from Canadian Courts to COVID-19
We are now more than a month in to social distancing measures, and it is time for an