March ← 2011 ← Innovation Law Blog

Class-Action-Proofing Boilerplates

Mar

2011

These days, products or services often come with lengthy, legalese-heavy, finely printed set of standardized terms many of us are not aware of, have no say in, or if we are aware of fine print, few understand them. Many people hardly ever read the standardized terms that come with our cell phone contracts, iTunes products, ...

Google’s Book Deal Rejected

Giselle Chin

Mar

2011

A US judge rejected a proposed $125 million class-action settlement between Google and book publishers and authors on Tuesday, complicating the company’s attempt to create stronger ties with media companies. According to Google, “This agreement has the potential to open-up access to millions of books that are currently hard to find in the U.S. today.” However, US ...

US “Privacy Bill of Rights” Proposal 2

Catherine Marchant

Mar

2011

The Federal Trade Commission, consumer advocates, and some legislators have been considering online privacy for years, but the issue has been increasingly in the forefront. The FTC released a “Do Not Track” Proposal in December, and several media sources have focused on the issue recently. The Wall Street Journal ran a series last summer entitled ...

Google patents Doodle

Billy Barnes

Mar

2011

The Google Doodle is a themed version of the Google logo which appears on the main page of the Google search engine. Originally reserved for special occasions, it now changes daily and Google has a permanent staff devoted to designing new Doodles. Today, the USPTO granted a patent application for the Doodle that was filed ...

AT&T and T-Mobile’s $39 Billion Mega Merger 1

Giselle Chin

Mar

2011

AT&T has just announced on Sunday a definitive agreement with Deutsche Telekom to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 billion in cash and stocks. The deal has been approved by the Board of Directors of both companies, but will now have to answer to the American regulators, the FCC and DOJ. If the merger receives regulatory ...

GRAFSTEIN LECTURE- Prof. Radin on Boilerplate – Monday (March 21) at 5 p.m.

Anny Vexler

Mar

2011

The Centre for Innovation Law and Policy invites you to The 2011 Grafstein Annual Lecture in Communications by Professor Margaret Jane Radin, Henry King Ransom Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School, William Benjamin Scott & Luna M. Scott Professor of Law, emerita, Stanford University and currently Affiliate of the Centre for Innovation for Innovation ...

Digital locks and ownership

Billy Barnes

Mar

2011

The anti-circumvention, or digital lock, provisions are arguably the most controversial aspect of Bill C-32. Arguments on both sides of the debate dominate the dicussion of the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act. In this article, I suggest a different way of looking at the problem of technological protection measures and an approach to legal ...

Microsoft lobbies Washington state for anti-piracy laws

Catherine Marchant

Mar

2011

Microsoft, concerned with the effects of software piracy on jobs and profits, is lobbying the Washington state legislature for stricter anti-piracy legislation. The proposed legislation would create a cause of action by making manufacturing companies liable for damages. It would also give companies and the state attorney general the right to file for

SSRC’s Global Media Piracy Report

Giselle Chin

Mar

2011

Great music knows no boundaries, especially pirated music. Canada’s Social Science Research Council has just released the first independent, large-scale study of media piracy and enforcement in emerging economies, focusing on Brazil, Bolivia, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa.

Usage-based billing controversy continues

Amit Patel

Mar

2011

The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology met again last week to discuss and review concerns surrounding usage-based billing. The decision granted by the CRTC has been met with strong opposition from Industry Minister Tony Clement, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper also taking the unusual step of intervening in the ever-mounting debate of Internet ...