In upstate New York, an interesting case about jury bias is entering the appeals process. Why is it interesting? Because it involves a cute dog:Rosie, the first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York, was in the witness box here nuzzling a 15-ye…
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Wise Law Blog: Law School Students v. Law Schools
Law graduates from Michigan and New York law schools have begun a class action lawsuit against their alma maters:The two class-action suits were filed by graduates of New York Law School in lower Manhattan and Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mi…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Google, Patent Trolling, And Canada
Google has acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion dollars, giving Google its very own smartphone manufacturer (even if Motorola isn’t the mobile device force it was a decade ago, having long been surpassed first by Nokia and Samsung, and then dr…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: It’s Not Work-For-Hire: The Music Industry’s New (And Not At All New) Problem With Copyright
The music industry’s problems with copyright have been legendary over the last decade, but their newest problem isn’t the usual issue of music piracy that’s kept the industry so litigious in recent years. No, instead their newest copyright dilemma is …
Continue readingWise Law Blog: The Stanley Kubrick Patent Defense
Apple is currently suing Samsung over the Galaxy Tab tablet computer, claiming that the Tab violates Apple’s design patents on the iPad. Samsung’s response is, to say the least, original:
Attached hereto as Exhibit D is a true and correct copy of a s…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: U.S. Federal Judge: Online Music Lockers Do Not Violate Copyright
Despite the fact that Mp3Tunes has been found liable for copyright infringement, the way in that it was found liable means that it and future “online music locker” services will generally be able to avoid liability for copyright infringement:
The lab…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week At The Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-08-19
Each week, Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal.Toronto Star Newspapers v. Fraleigh. Mr. Fraleigh was involved in a divorce action against his wife while carrying on a relationship with a woman who worked for The Grea…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week At The Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-07-22
Each week, Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal. Aguas v. Rivard Estate. A personal injury case where the appellant, Ms. Aguas, was suing the estate of Mr. Rivard for damages arising from a motor vehicle accident inv…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week at the Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-06-24
Each week Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal.Di Tomaso v. Crown Metal Packaging Canada LP. An appeal in a wrongful termination case. Mr. Di Tomaso was employed by Crown Metal for over 33 years as a mechanic, and inf…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week At The Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-06-09
Each week Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal.Ontario (Labour) v. Black & McDonald Limited. An appeal from an Ontario Court of Justice trial where charges laid under the Occupational Health and Safety Act were dismis…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: When Crime Isn’t Crime (Or It Is)
The comments on this Calgary Sun article about activists who wish to not receive a criminal record for their act of activism (namely draping a protest banner off the Calgary Tower, which is private property) are fairly predictable, because it’s the Sun…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week At The Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-06-03
Each week, Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal.Maccaroni v. Kelly. An appeal of a summary judgment in an Ontario personal injury case where the appellant, Ms. Maccaroni, was rear-ended in a vehicular collision with M…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: The Supreme Court’s Confusing Decision on Sexual Assault and Consent: <em>R. v. J.A.</em>
The Supreme Court’s decision on sexual assault and consent in R. v. J.A. has been a hot topic since its May 27, 2011 release. Complaints that the decision essentially criminalizes a wide range of innocent sexual activities are flourishing across Twitt…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week At The Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-05-27
Each week, Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal. It was a bit of a slow week at the Court, so we’ve highlighted only once case.Barrington v. Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. Mr. Barrington, along with t…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: This Week At The Ontario Court of Appeal: 11-05-20
Each week, Wise Law Blog reviews recent decisions by the Ontario Court of Appeal.R. v. Roncaioli. An appeal in a manslaughter case where the convicted defendant was accused of killing his ailing wife by injecting her with two different types of anaesth…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Articling, Access to Justice, And Lakehead University’s New Law School
Two recent related news items – the Law Society of Upper Canada’s approval of a potential new law school at Lakehead University and Michael Johnston’s remarks upon becoming chairman of the Ontario County and District Law Presidents’ Association – made …
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Proposed California Law Tackles Social Media, Privacy Concerns
A proposed new law in California would have radical implications for Facebook and other major social media sites:The bill, which would apply only to users in California, would prohibit sites from displaying users’ home addresses or telephone numbers wi…
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