Category Archives: Copyrights

Analysis, Canada, Copyrights, Trademark

Social Media and Copyright: What are the Common Copyright Limitations and Issues Users Face?

Social media phones

In a time when online sharing is becoming more and more complicated thanks to an ever increasing number of social media platforms cropping into existence and an equally ever increasing amount of time people are spending online, various copyright issues are bound to arise. Continue reading to learn more about the common Canadian copyright limitations and issues users may face in sharing and living in an online world.

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Analysis, Canada, Copyrights, Intellectual property, Patent Prosecution, Trademark

Trademark Owners and Franchisors Beware: in Milano Pizza Ltd. v. 6034799 Canada Inc., Lack of Licensor Control Leads to Invalidation of Trademark

Neon sign of a pizza over a city's view

In its recent Milano Pizza Ltd. v. 6034799 Canada Inc. decision, the Federal Court ordered the expungement of a trademark registration because the plaintiff did not exercise sufficient control over the use of the trademark by its licensees. This decision provides a helpful reminder of the dangers of relying on verbal agreements instead of written trademark licenses, and the need for trademark owners to maintain control over their licensees.

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Copyrights, IP Litigation

The Federal Court of Appeal has spoken: actual damage doesn’t need to be proved in order to obtain statutory damages under the Copyright Act

close up of engine

In its February 2022 decision in RallySport Direct LLC, the Federal Court of Appeal (“FCA”) reiterated and confirmed the principle established in the decision of the Ontario Superior Court in Trader. This Court determined that a copyright owner could claim the statutory damages provided in section 38.1 of the Copyright Act (“Act”), even where there was no monetary damage and no loss of business opportunity.

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Canada, Copyrights, Intellectual property, IP Litigation

Lavigne (Valmedia) v. 9061-6632 Québec inc.: Infringement of moral rights will not go unpunished

Lady Justice statue sits in front of courthouse columns.

(French version available at bottom of article)

True to its continental European heritage, Canada has a strong regime for the protection of moral rights. This includes the inalienable right of creators to be associated with their work as its author and to protect its integrity, notwithstanding any assignment of economic rights. These rights have been recognized in Canada under the Copyright Act (the “Act”) since 1931 and have been repeatedly recognized in past decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada1.

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Analysis, Canada, Copyrights

Image Copyright in the Age of Social Media

Social media phone

In an age where online image sharing is more prevalent than ever thanks to the abundance of different social media platforms, the question of who has a right to use what photographs or creative visuals may appear increasingly complicated, but the truth is that similar copyright principles that apply to a physical photograph or artistic image also apply to pictures shared over social media. Continue reading for a discussion of social media platforms’ rights to the images posted by their users and for an explanation of Canadian copyright in images.

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