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Proposed change to federal copyright law
The federal budget, in a section entitled “celebrating our heritage,” proposes to make some changes to the Copyright Act by extending the copyright term to sound recordings and performances for an additional 20 years. Many fear that these changes will undo the 2012 legislative amendments and restrict artistic freedom. Some have been quick to point […]
Data in Constructive Trust
For tomorrow’s class, I will be discussing the possibility of constructive trusts as a means to remedy the misuse of personal information. Here is an optional article for you to read. The essay argues that a new common law tort called the ‘misuse of personal information’ should be introduced in the U.K., based on their […]
Data and Goliath
Here is a New York Times book review of ‘Data and Goliath’. I pulled a relevant quote from the article: “In the corporate realm, Mr. Schneier promotes no less than a fundamental reshaping of the media and technology landscape. Companies with access to large amounts of personal data would be “automatically classified as fiduciaries” and […]
Trademarks and Sweet Treats
In earlier classes, the lack of copyright protection for chef creations such as signature dishes or recipes themselves was mentioned. Trademarks, on the other hand, offer some limited IP protections for names of particular dishes. A Toronto bakery called Dufflet which sells ‘cakelets’, which are noted for their size (being slightly smaller than a traditional […]
Jon Ronson on public shaming
Jon Ronson will be coming out with a new book next month entitled So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. As one of my classmates has pointed out in a previous blog post, social media is increasingly being used as a forum for public shaming; a ‘digital mob’, so to speak. Ronson was also interviewed in this […]
The ‘Reddit exodus’
Currently in the news: “… In a strange twist that perfectly illustrates the current culture-wide debate around online speech, a group of disgruntled users have begun an exodus off the site — claiming, against all odds, that Reddit is censoring them as a matter of corporate policy.” There is also a Gawker news article that expands […]
“We want privacy, but we can’t stop sharing”
Here is a link to Lawrence Lessig’s video interview with Edward Snowden. It may become relevant to our discussions of privacy/lack of privacy and its potential chilling effects on digital creativity, expression, and even the process of gaining/accessing knowledge through the Internet as a medium. A New York Times article entitled “We Want Privacy, But […]
When does similarity become plagiarism?
Tom Petty receives writing credit on Sam Smith hit Stay With Me This recent article in the Globe and Mail reminded me of our class discussion on stand-up comedians and the lack of protection for their jokes, and the problems that may arise from trying to create legal protections. I see somewhat of a parallel […]