Google announced on Friday it is updating its search algorithms. In making the announcement Google said the purpose is to “help users find legitimate, quality sources of content more easily—whether it’s a song previewed on NPR’s music website, a TV show on Hulu or new music streamed fromSpotify.” According to the statement, it plans to reduce search rankings for sites with “high numbers” of valid takedown notices.
Archive for the ‘Google Book Scanning’ category
Google’s plans to prioritize legitimate online content
August 13th, 2012Posted in Copyright, Google Book Scanning, infringment, Piracy
Tags: barry sookman ContentID Copyright google Google Books infringement Piracy youtube
Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2011-2012)
June 21st, 2012Here are the slides used in my presentation to the Toronto Computer Lawyers Group earlier today, The Year in Review: Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2011-2012). It covers significant developements since my talk last spring, Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2010-2011).
The slides include a summary of the following cases:
Kraft Real Estate Investments, LLC v Homeway.com, Inc. 2012 WL 220271 (D.S.Car. Jan 24, 2012)
Swift v. Zynga Game Network, Inc., 805 F.Supp.2d 904, (N.D.Cal., 2011)
Fteja v. Facebook, Inc., 2012 WL 183896 (S.D.N.Y. 2012)
Grosvenor v. Qwest Corp., 2012 WL 602655 (D.Colo., 2012)
Posted in APIs, authorization, C-11, CASL, click wrap agreement, Computer & Internet Law Update, conflicts of laws, contracts, contributory infringement, Copyright, copyright reform, data protection, defamation, DMCA safe harbor, E-commerce, Google Book Scanning, hyperlinking liability, innocent disseminator, intellectual property, Internet defamation, ISP Liability, IT Contracts, jurisdiction, misleading advertising, OSFI Guidlines, Presentations, Privacy, Reproduction, shrink wrap license, spam, Trade Marks, web wrap agreement
Tags: barry sookman canada clickwraps computer law copyright class actions copyright computer programs copyright infringement dmca E-commerce forum selection clauses Google Adwords hosting liability Internet Intermediary liability internet jurisdiction internet law ISP Liability keywords and misleading advertising online defamation webwraps
Copyright law 2011 –the year in review in Canada and around the world
January 13th, 2012Yesterday, I gave a talk at the Law Society of Upper Canada’s 16th Annual Intellectual Property Law: The Year in Review program. My talk canvassed developments in copyright in 2011. My slides are shown below. The associated paper prepared in collaboration with Glen Bloom, with the help of others, is available here.
My slides and/or the paper summarize the following copyright cases from Canada, the USA, UK and Europe:
CANADA
Re: Sound v Motion Picture Theatre Association of Canada 2011 FCA 70
Reference re Broadcasting Act 2011 FCA 64
Crookes v. Newton 2011 SCC 47
Posted in authorization, C-11, communication to the public, Copyright, copyright reform, Counterfeiting, cyberlockers, Fair Dealing, Fair Use, Google Book Scanning, human rights, hyperlinking liability, infringment, Internet defamation, jurisdiction, Piracy, Presentations, Reproduction, statutory damages, storage lockers
Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2010-2011)
June 15th, 2011Here are the slides used in my presentation to the Toronto Computer Lawyers Group earlier today, The Year in Review: Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2010-2011). It covers significant developements since my talk last spring.
The slides include a summary of the following cases and statutory materials:
Privacy:
Cite Cards Canada Inc. v. Pleasance, 2011 ONCA 3
Leon’s Furniture Limited v. Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2011 ABCA 94
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 2010 FC 736
Nammo v. TransUnion of Canada Inc., 2010 FC 1284
Posted in authorization, communication to the public, Computer Misuse, conflicts of laws, contributory infringement, Copyright, data protection, E-commerce, Fair Dealing, FISA, Google Book Scanning, idea expression dichotomy, intellectual property, ISP Liability, IT Contracts, Limitations of liability, Outsourcing, Patents, Piracy, Presentations, Privacy, spam, Trade Marks
Tags: barry sookman class actions Copyright data protection E-commerce google book project intellectual property IT Contracts Limitations of liability Patents Privacy trade-marks
US court: Google book settlement not “fair, adequate and reasonable”
March 22nd, 2011U.S. Judge Denny Chin released his decision today on whether to approve the class action settlement with Google involving the Google book scanning project. Judge Chin rejected the settlement as not being fair, adequate, and reasonable.
His 48 page reasons were summarized as follows:
While the digitization of books and the creation of a universal digital library would benefit many, the ASA would simply go too far. It would permit this class action – which was brought against defendant Google Inc. (“Google” )to challenge its scanning of books and display of “snippets” for on-line searching to implement a forward-looking business arrangement that would grant Google significant rights to exploit entire books, without permission of the copyright owners. Indeed, the ASA would give Google a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission, while releasing claims well beyond those presented in the case.
Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2009-2010)
May 26th, 2010Here are the slides used in my presentation to the Toronto Computer Lawyers Group earlier today, The Year in Review: Developments in Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (2009-2010). It covers significant developements since my talk last spring.
The slides include a summary of the following cases and statutory references:
Tercon Contractors Ltd. v. British Columbia, 2010 SCC 4
Internet Broadcasting Corporation Ltd. v Mar LLC [2009] EWHC 844 (Ch)
Gammasonics Institute for Medical Research Pty Ltd v Comrad Medical Sysytems Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 267 (9 April 2010)
Kingsway Hall Hotel Ltd. v Red Sky IT (Hounslow) Ltd. [2010] EWHC 965
Posted in Copyright, Criminal Law, data protection, E-commerce, Fair Dealing, Fair Use, Fundamental breach, Google Book Scanning, Graduated Response, human rights, intellectual property, ISP Liability, IT Contracts, Limitations of liability, Patents, Piracy, Presentations, Privacy, Trade Marks
Tags: barry sookman computer law Copyright data protection ecommerce law internet law Privacy spam spyware toronto computer lawyers group presentation trademarks
Canadian and international copyright-the year in review (2009) presentation for the LSUC
January 15th, 2010Here is a copy of my slides presented at the 14th Annual Law Society of Upper Canada Intellectual Property Law – The Year in Review conference. It covers the leading Canadian and international copyright cases for the 2009 year. It excludes decisions of the Copyright Board. These cases were dealt with by Mario Bouchard of the Copyright Board of Canada.
Posted in Copyright, Counterfeiting, Fair Dealing, Fair Use, Google Book Scanning, Piracy, Presentations
Tags: barry sookman
Editions du Seuil v Google:what reasons did the French court give for holding Google liable for copyright infringement?
January 11th, 2010There was a lot of press recently when the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris 3ème chambre, 2ème section released its ruling of December 18, 2009 in the case involving Google and several publishers and authors.
The case raised the interesting issue as to whether Google’s digitization of copyrighted works of French origin and making extracts of them available in response to searches without the permission of authors infringes copyright under the law of France.



This site is published by Barry Sookman personally. It is not affiliated with McCarthy Tétrault or any of its clients. Full bio