The US Patent and Trademark Office Bans AI From Being Granted Patents
On April 27, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) released a decision denying a pair of patents that were developed entirely by an artificial intelligence (“AI”) on the basis that only natural persons can be inventors. In July 2019, Stephen Thaler filed two patents on behalf of an AI “creativity machine” which he had developed and named “DABUS.” DABUS allegedly was programmed with neural networking for the purpose of independently endeavouring to create inventions. Mr. Thaler himself alleged that he did not provide any special data relevant to the inventions that were the subject of the patents. ... [more] Full article
CRTC cannot make cablecos pay for local TV signals, SCC says
Cable and satellite television companies won an important victory when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on December 13, 2012, that the CRTC has no jurisdiction to force them to ... [more] Full article
A Cautionary Tale in Comparative Advertising
National Energy Corporation was recently ordered by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to stop distributing a comparative advertising brochure which contained false and misleading statements about the services and ... [more] Full article
Hollywood studios successfully enforce breach of copyright judgment against Ontario website operator
Citing the Internet's unique potential to cause harm anywhere and everywhere, Madam Justice Lax of Ontario's Superior Court of Justice enforced a New York District Court judgment earlier this month against the operators of Ontario-based websites that facilitated the illegal copying and downloading of movies. [more] Full article
Intellectual Property Contributors
Kenneth A. Dekker
Kenneth Dekker, a partner of the firm, is a successful trial and appellate lawyer who is valued by his clients as a resourceful and practical litigation counsel. Over more than two decades, Ken has litigated noteworthy cases in a range of fields that include class action defence, securities and broker-dealer litigation and regulatory defence, corporate and shareholder disputes (including oppression and winding up cases), defamation, civil fraud litigation, disputes over contracts, injunctions, professional liability litigation, employment litigation and cross-border litigation issues. Ken has appeared before all levels of courts in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal for Ontario, as well as before the Supreme Court of Canada. Ken also represents and advises clients in regulatory matters before the Investment Industry Organization of Canada (IIROC), the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA) and the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). Ken has been ranked as Repeatedly Recommended for Securities Litigation by Lexpert, for Corporate and Commercial Litigation by Best Lawyers of Canada, and he has been given the highest available rating of AV, or pre-eminent, by his peers on Martindale-Hubbell.
Masiel A. Matus
Masiel has a broad commercial litigation practice and represents both national and international clients in a variety of complex matters. Masiel has experience litigating cases involving professional negligence, commercial leasing and real property disputes, insurance, contract disputes, shareholder disputes, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of trust, employment matters and defamation claims.
