Intellectual Property
Control over, and access to, knowledge determines how the benefits of scientific, technological, and other advancements are realized and distributed throughout our information society. How exactly does protection of intellectual property rights shape the global knowledge economy? Better understanding and then influencing the law of patents, copyrights, trademarks, secrets, and many related legal rules are among my top research priorities.
Featured Articles
Judging Intellectual Property Overlaps
How do judges draw lines between different intellectual property laws? Answers are in this research examining case law in the United States and Canada on the overlap of patents and plant breeders’ rights.
A Data Commons for Food Security
In this paper my co-authors Jeremiah Baarbé, Meghan Blom and I propose a ‘data commons’, formed through a licensing model that allows farmers to benefit from the datasets to which they contribute.
Featured Audio & Video
Jeremy de Beer discusses the smartphone patent wars on cbc radio
Latest Articles
Judging Intellectual Property Overlaps
How do judges draw lines between different intellectual property laws? Answers are in this research examining case law in the United States and Canada on the overlap of patents and plant breeders’ rights.
A Data Commons for Food Security
In this paper my co-authors Jeremiah Baarbé, Meghan Blom and I propose a ‘data commons’, formed through a licensing model that allows farmers to benefit from the datasets to which they contribute.
All Articles
Innovation Appropriation: A Role for IP in the Informal Sector?
I was in Geneva recently to participate in a special session about innovation, IP, and the informal economy…
Present Thinking About the Future of IP: A Literature Review
The way we think about the future influences how we think and behave in the present. Truly informative work…
Does Hyperlinking Create Liability for Copyright Infringement in Canada or the European Union?
Hyperlink, by SumAll, on Flickr. This peer-reviewed article in the European Intellectual Property Review provides a timely comparative analysis of recent Canadian and European Union (EU) copyright cases regarding the nature and scope of communication rights, as applied to the issue of copyright infringement liability for hyperlinking. Mira Burri...
Knowledge and Innovation in Africa: Scenarios for the Future
The question is not whether IP rights will be relevant in the future, but rather which rights will be most important…
Intellectual Property and Innovation: Collaborative Dynamics in Africa
These case studies show how IP can aid collaborative innovation systems if policymakers prioritise…
Parallel Imports Are Not Counterfeits: Trademark and Copyright Laws Should Distinguish
Parallel imports are not pirated goods nor counterfeit products. Rather, they are genuine articles sold in another country with the authority of the intellectual property rights owner. Parallel imports help to prevent geographic price discrimination. They are one way of encouraging pricing parity across borders, and an essential aspect of free trade.
Informal Sector Innovation and IP: Concepts, Metrics, and Policy Considerations
How does innovation happen in the informal sector? To answer these questions our interdisciplinary framework…
Copyright Royalty Stacking: Multiple Payments for Music Licensing
Copyright is a bundle of rights which requires a variety of licenses to use. Copyright royalty stacking means the layering of multiple payments for permission to use copyright-protected materials. It is a phenomenon commonly encountered in copyright licensing transactions, especially music licensing. My book chapter in Michael Geist’s edited collection, “The...
The Impacts of Canada’s Copyright Modernization: Talking Digital Locks on CBC Television
When Canada’s copyright law was amended, one of the biggest changes was protect for digital locks. Since 2012 it has been illegal in Canada to circumvent technological protection measures. In this CBC television interview, on the Lang and O’Leary Exchange, I explain the adverse business impacts of locking consumers into...
Supreme Court Copyright Decisions Will Grow the Market for Digital Content
Five landmark decisions released by the Supreme Court of Canada will streamline copyright licensing and help to grow the online market for digital content protected by copyright. That is my argument in this editorial published in the Financial Post. Supreme Court, by Alex Nobert, on Flickr. As well as...