January 2011
1 post
Canada Seeks Input on Business R & D Policy →
INNOVATION In/Sight
The Canadian Federal Government has commissioned a panel of experts to advise it on what can be done “in order to maximize its contribution to innovation and to economic opportunities for business.” The experts have published a discussion paper seeking public comments, which...
December 2010
1 post
Supreme Court of Canada to consider whether music...
COPYRIGHT In/Sight
In Canada, copyright collectives accumulate the rights of large numbers of copyright owners, and collect license fees for otherwise infringing acts on behalf of the owners. The activities for which money is collected, and the rates, typically require approval by the Copyright Board. Such...
September 2010
2 posts
Sobering thoughts on harmful aspects of trade... →
PATENTS/TRADE SECRETS In/Sight
Stephen Friend, of Sage Bionetworks, writes about the need for more collaborative drug development models. He quotes Tania Bubela, of the University of Alberta, who succintly makes the point that “Patenting is inversely correlated with academic collaboration”.
90 percent of Phase...
Electronic Commerce Article by David Published
COPYRIGHT In/Sight
An article by David Allsebrook of LudlowLaw has been published in “Legal Issues in Electronic Commerce” 3rd Edition, Captus Press, Concord, Ontario, edited by R.L. Campbell. The article is entitled “Submissions on Copyright Law Reform”.
The text is a wide ranging...
June 2010
1 post
Canada's Digital Economy Consultation →
COPYRIGHT/PATENT In/Sight
Industry Minister Tony Clement has launched a public consultation on the subject of what Canada’s policies towards the Digital Economy should be. The consultation process includes a white paper, a set of skill testing questions, and a series of round tables. One of the topics is...
April 2010
3 posts
The 21st Century Renaissance
PATENTS In/Sight
In the 12th century and again in the 17th century, Western European researchers sought out ancient Greek and Roman texts. Their contents provided a knowledge base as Western Europe began to develop its own technological and philosophical culture. As anyone who has taken high school...
How Secret are Your Shredded Documents ? →
CONFIDENTIALITY In/Sight
Software has been developed to reassemble shredded documents. The context for this is an effort to restore the records of the former East German Secret Police, the Stasi. Apparently the Stasi left behind 16,000 garbage bags full of shredded documents. Efforts to reassemble them by hand are going...
Irony Visits the Federal Court →
PATENTS In/Sight
Few litigants in Canada fight harder than drug companies fighting over patents. The central dispute usually involves a company with a drug patent using the one-sided system to fend off generic drug companies who are seeking regulatory approval to market the drug as soon as they can. ...
March 2010
4 posts
An Indie Musician's Take on Music Economics →
COPYRIGHT In/Sight
A refreshingly well written and and learned commentary on music how to make money as a musician, past , present and future. This stark article “Simon Indelicate” may be a bit bleak in its valuation of talent and showmanship as contributors to success, but it is entertaining while laying bare the...
China Reduces Sentences for Inventive Prisoners →
PATENTS In/Sight
Gansu Province in north-central China has developed a novel (the pun sort of happened on its own) coordination between its Intellectual Property Office and the Bureau of Prison Administration. The Prison Administration is offering sentence remissions to prisoners making “inventions or major...
New Copyright Bill proposes MP3 player Levy and... →
COPYRIGHT LAW In/Sight
March 17 2010. NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmons/James Bay) has introduced a private member’s bill , C-499, into the House of Commons, to amend the Copyright Act. He is calling for a general fair use provision to protect users, and a levy on MP3 players to pay owners of copyrights in sound recordings.
Click...
Insightful UKIPO Report on the Worldwide Cost of... →
PATENTS In/Sight
The UK Intellectual Property Office commissioned a report on the worldwide costs of delays in processing patent applications through to patents. The most interesting parts are the clearly articulated assumptions on which the report is based. For example, the report acknowledges that much of the...
February 2010
6 posts
Mission statements and intellectual property
At one time Coca-Cola’s corporate mission statement was to “maximize the value of its brand” or words to that effect. If anyone has the exact wording I’d appreciate hearing from them.
Recollecting this led me to wonder how other organizations have incorporated intellectual property into their corporate mission statements. Please let me know of any you have come across,...
1 tag
US Tests Expediting Green Patent Applications →
PATENTS In/Sight
The USPTO launched a further program for accelerated prosecution by way of a pilot project regarding the patent process for green technology inventions on 8 December 2009. The opportunity will run for a year and only the first 3000 qualified petitions will get to jump the queue for certain.
...
Attention SMEs: Speed Up Your U.S. Patent... →
PATENTS In/Sight
The new director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has pledged new fast track patent applications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to reduce the current backlog.
gcludlow@ludlowlaw.ca
suite 1400 - 439 university avenue I toronto, ontario m5g 1y8 I...
1 tag
Avoid Patent Litigation by Cross-Licensing →
PATENTS In/Sight
When evaluating your intellectual property portfolio, do not overlook either the licensing value or the defensive value of patents for your inventions. Patents asserted against you can often be licensed, in exchange to a license for your technology. Click the headline for details.
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When is a Trade Mark Like a Gunpowder Trail? →
TRADE MARKS In/Sight
An innovative Alberta company has created a web site for seekers of new trade mark designs to create a competition among artists to produce the winning design. The process is fair, efficient and cost effective.
dgallsebrook@ludlowlaw.ca
suite 1400 - 439 university avenue I toronto, ontario m5g...
1 tag
Create a Design Competition for Your New Trade... →
TRADE MARKS In/Sight
An innovative Alberta company has created a web site for seekers of new trade mark designs to create a competition among artists to produce the winning design. The process is fair, efficient and cost effective.
dgallsebrook@ludlowlaw.ca
suite 1400 - 439 university avenue I toronto, ontario m5g...
January 2010
6 posts
Summary Trials Now Available to Speed I.P.... →
ADVOCACY In/Sight
Another sound reason to litigate IP disputes in Canada exists given new court rule changes that introduce Summary Trials in both the Federal Court of Canada (FCC) and the Superior Court of Justice for the Province of Ontario (SCJ). The changes expand a strong Judicial trend to expedite dispute...
Perspective on Copyright Law Reform Proposals →
COPYRIGHT In/Sight
Since copyright works began to appear in digital form, the role of copyright has required redefinition and polarized stakeholders worldwide. This entertaining and surprising paper (really!) summarizes the issues, the changes wrought to copyright so far, and exposes the reality behind some of...
Intellectual Property Audits Reap Benefits →
MANAGEMENT / ADMINISTRATION In/Sight
Intellectual Property audits represent an essential business practice regarding a company’s intangible yet valuable assets. Intellectual property can constitute the most valuable assets of a company, and reward deliberate attention, evaluation and protection.
gcludlow@ludlowlaw.ca
suite 1400 - 439 university...
Amplify, The Meaning Program →
ADVOCACY In/Sight
In January 2010 Hapax LLC launched version 2.0 of its Amplify web service. The unique service extracts meaning from multiple text documents. Many uses for such a tool suggest themselves. In litigation, for example, Amplify may greatly reduce the cost of screening documents, and contribute to...
Federal Court subpoenas lawyer who drafted patent →
ADVOCACY / PATENTS In/Sight
In Canada, solicitor-client privilege against disclosing client communications does not apply to communications with patent agents. To establish solicitor-client privilege over patent work, agents must work through Canadian lawyers. By compelling a lawyer, who is also an agent, to testify about some of...
How to search Japanese Patents in English →
PATENTS
A straightforward guide by Japanese Patent Agent Shogo Nakamura, of the Tokyo law firm Yuasa and Hara. Thank you, Shogo, for letting us offer your guide to our visitors.