Intellectual Property
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June 20, 2025
Keeping your designs in good order
A recent decision of the U.K. Court of Appeal raises interesting issues concerning industrial design registrations (Safestand Ltd v Weston Homes Plc, [2025] EWCA Civ 374).
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June 19, 2025
FCA sets aside decision that declared Ottawa must fill judicial vacancies ‘within a reasonable time’
A novel Federal Court action that tried to compel Ottawa to fix its chronic tardiness in filling superior court vacancies has been dismissed for lack of jurisdiction by the Federal Court of Appeal; however, the law firm that launched the case to help its clients and other litigants says its efforts were not in vain.
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June 19, 2025
Ottawa quietly reboots Trudeau-era cybersecurity bill passed by Commons but makes changes
The Carney Liberal government has quietly rebooted — with changes — a Trudeau-era cybersecurity bill that proposed new offences, large administrative monetary penalties (AMPs), gags and broad “compliance orders” for businesses, with the stated aim of defending critical infrastructure in the federally regulated sectors of finance, telecommunications, energy and transportation from the rising tide of electronic espionage, ransomware and other “malicious cyber activity.”
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June 19, 2025
Lenczner Slaght welcomes Julien Sicco
Julien Sicco has joined Lenczner Slaght as an associate in Toronto.
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June 18, 2025
Private equity eyes college sports: Tradition meets transformation amid financial pressures
As college sports evolve, the balance between tradition and transformation is shifting toward commercialization. Private equity firms, already active in professional leagues like the MLB, NBA and NFL, are now turning their attention to universities. With financial pressures mounting, many schools are finding outside funding increasingly attractive.
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June 17, 2025
Canada ramps up sanctions against Russia for Putin regime’s ‘continued aggression’ against Ukraine
Canada announced new sanctions against Russia as leaders of the G7 Western countries met for a second day in Kananaskis, Alta.
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June 17, 2025
CBA backs constitutional amendment to constrain federal use of Charter’s ‘notwithstanding’ clause
In a rare move, the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) has thrown its support behind a Senate public bill (S-218), which proposes a constitutional amendment to restrict and structure the discretion of the federal government to breach Charter rights via the contentious s. 33 “notwithstanding” clause.
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June 17, 2025
The importance of a well-drafted confidentiality clause, and the dangers of AI
A recent US$3.1-million award by a Florida jury in favour of Pliteq, Inc. (Pliteq, Inc. v. Mostafa, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60316), a Canadian international engineering services and manufacturing enterprise, against a high-ranking Dubai-based employee who stole trade secrets demonstrates that — despite cross-border tensions — Donald Trump’s America may still be a favourable place for Canadian businesses to seek and obtain justice.
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June 17, 2025
Your job as lawyers? Take the A out of AI
You may have heard news recently that the driving law in Canada will be changing federally. You’ve probably seen a Facebook post, an Instagram story or even a news story on a website indicating that there will be national changes to driving laws in Canada beginning on July 1, 2025.
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June 16, 2025
Canadian IP Office advances online tools, cuts application backlog: report
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has tabled its 2023–2024 annual report in Parliament noting progress it made in that fiscal year, including developing over 200 online intellectual property (IP) tools.