Copyright & Intellectual Property

Canadian Intellectual Property Office
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office is a special operating agency associated with Industry Canada. This office is responsible for the administration and processing of intellectual property rights. Information about the major types of intellectual property.

Intellectual Property Institute of Canada
A national association with over 1500 members, including nearly all patent agents, trademark agents and lawyers specializing in IP.

The Intellectual Property Law Server
Lots of resources covering intellectual property law, frequently updated.

American Intellectual Property Law Association
A national association (USA) primarily of lawyers specializing in intellectual property law. The public can use the site to do a search for IP lawyers in their area.

United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office page. Information on copyright, how to register a work etc. Online legislation. A good resource for U.S. copyright legislation.

World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the use and protection of works of the human spirit. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO is one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations system of organizations.

UK Copyright Service
Provides copyright registration for artists in the UK (United Kingdom). Fact sheets and other information specific to UK intellectual property rights are available from this well-designed site.

Creative Commons
The creative commons is a non-profit organization that seeks innovative ways for people to share intellectual property using licences that provide for varying degrees of protection.

Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig is a professor at the Stanford Law School and has authored three books on intellectual property and the Internet, along with writing articles (he is a frequent contributor to Wired magazine) and lecturing. You can find out more about him and his activities by visiting his site.

The Centre for Innovation Law and Policy
A research and teaching centre, established by the University of Toronto and the Province of Ontario in 1999. It specializes in the legal and policy issues affecting and affected by new technologies.

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Operated by the Harvard Law School; "The Berkman Center is a research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development." Up to date information on a variety of intellectual property law topics, mainly from a U.S. legal view. Articles are well-researched and written. Lawrence Lessig (see preceding entry), the author of "The Future of Ideas", is one of the center's faculty.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Founded in July 1990, in response to threats to freedom of speech by overzealous law enforcement (specifically the U.S. Secret Service). The EFF works to support freedom of speech and other basic rights in digital media. Though-provoking content.

FreePatentsOnline
Easy-to-use U.S. patent search engine. Also has patents sorted according to industry and, in some cases, by company. I found this search engine slightly easier to use than the U.S. Patent Office engine.

Access Copyright: The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency
This organization collects fees on behalf of copyright holders in Canada. Information and links to copyright information in Canada.

Internet and e-commerce law - Michael Geist's Home Page
Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa specializing in Internet and e-commerce law; he also serves as Technology counsel to Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Mr. Geist also writes a column for the Toronto Star. An article of his, "Who should own your wedding pictures?" (published November 1, 2004) angered many photographers by suggesting that photographers shouldn't own copyright by default in commissioned photographs. His website features a wide range of articles concerning intellectual property, e-commerce and the Internet.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Passed in 1998, this Act updates copyright protection in the digital age. It makes illegal the sale and distribution of hardware and software designed to thwart copy protection systems. Many oppose this Act, see the Electronic Freedom Foundation site (below) for their view.

Chilling Effects
This is a site that highlights misuse and abuse of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and other intellectual property law. Abusers include Wal-Mart (claimed their prices are copyrighted!?), RIAA who mistakenly accused Penn State of unlawfully distributing songs by the musician Usher (the sound file was actually the work of an astronomy professor with the last name Usher), and the Church of Scientology who tried using the DMCA to get search engine Google to stop listing websites critical of the Scientology organization. Raises interesting questions about intellectual property and its protection.

Getting Permission
How to get permission to use copyrighted work, this listing from the University of Texas provides you with sites to search for permission. Very useful. While you're at this site, check out the University of Texas' "Crash course in Copyright" by clicking on "Home" in the menu on the upper left hand side of the page.

Eric Swetsky, MBA LLB, Barrister and Solicitor, Trademark Agent
A Canadian lawyer specializing in advertising, marketing, copyright and trademark law. Eric Swetsky has written articles for Marketing magazine. Lots of info about Canadian intellectual property law. See the "Newsletters & Published Articles" link.

Copyright Clearance Center
Provides licensing for text reproduction/distribution in the U.S. and throughout the world. Based in the U.S., founded in 1978 to facilitate compliance with U.S. Copyright law.