Category Archives: Intellectual Property

The OpenAI Copyright Lawsuit: Could It Backfire on Canadian Media?

By: Ismine Osman

Matter Commented On: Canadian News Media Companies v OpenAI, Statement of Claim

PDF Version: The OpenAI Copyright Lawsuit: Could it Backfire on Canadian Media?

Introduction: A Legal Paradox for Canadian Media

In November 2024, a group of Canada’s largest news media companies (Plaintiffs), including the Toronto Star, Metroland Media Group, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI (Canadian News Media Companies v OpenAI, Statement of Claim (28 November 2024) (Statement of Claim)). They allege that OpenAI scraped and copied content without consent to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models (Statement of Claim at paras 44-45). The Plaintiffs also claim that OpenAI’s models may reproduce parts of this content in user-facing outputs, which could further support the allegation of infringement (Statement of Claim at para 5). Legal commentators, including Michael Geist and Howard Knopf, have already weighed in on the lawsuit’s weaknesses and strategic undertones (see Howard Knopf, “AI Litigation for the Canadian Nation”; Michael Geist, “Canadian Media Companies Target OpenAI in Copyright Lawsuit But Weak Claims Suggest Settlement the Real Goal”).

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Claims to Copyright Trumped by Expiration of Statutory Confidentiality Period

By: Nigel Bankes

PDF Version: Claims to Copyright Trumped by Expiration of Statutory Confidentiality Period

Case Commented On: Geophysical Service Incorporated v EnCana Corporation, 2017 ABCA 125

In reserved reasons, a unanimous Court of Appeal has affirmed Justice Eidsvik’s decision at trial (2016 ABQB 230) in this contentious proceeding. This litigation has pitted the seismic company, GSI, against most, if not all, of the major exploration and production companies operating in Canada, as well as the federal regulators, the National Energy Board, and the Canada/Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board. GSI claims that seismic data that it generated is protected by copyright for the usual term of the Copyright Act, RSC 1985, c C-45 and that the various (and many) defendants have breached that protection by copying or facilitating the copying of protected materials once the confidentiality period protecting data filed with the regulators has expired. Continue reading →

Expiration of Confidentiality also gives Boards the Liberty to Copy and Distribute

By: Nigel Bankes

PDF Version: Expiration of Confidentiality also gives Boards the Liberty to Copy and Distribute

Case Commented On: Geophysical Services Incorporated v Encana Corporation, 2016 ABQB 230

This decision involves rights to seismic data. Under Canadian law (and here specifically the rules established for federal lands in the north and the east coast offshore) seismic data filed with government is treated as privileged or confidential for a period of years. The principal issue in this case was the question of what rules apply once that protection comes to an end. Is it open season or do the creators of the seismic data retain some rights and in particular their copyright entitlements? In her decision Justice Kristine Eidsvik has decided that it is open season.

The decision is part of complex case-managed litigation commenced by Geophysical Services Inc (GSI) in 25 actions against the National Energy Board (NEB), the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (CNOPB) (the Boards) and numerous oil and gas companies, seismic companies and companies providing copying services. GSI claims that copyright subsists in seismic data and that its copyright protection survives the confidentiality period. Furthermore, it claims that access to the seismic information after the loss of confidentiality is governed by the Access to Information Act, RSC 1985, c A-1 (AIA) and that there is no open season on access or copying.

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Copyright in the School Setting: Interpreting “Private Study”

PDF version: Copyright in the School Setting: Interpreting “Private Study”

Decision commented on: Alberta (Education) v Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, 2012 SCC 37.

As a first year student last year, I remember various professors telling us that, due to the University of Calgary’s copyright policy, they were no longer able to post certain materials to Blackboard (a digital course management system); instead we were given instructions to download the materials ourselves. At the time I remember internally questioning this artificial distinction and how it really protected copyright since in either case I was responsible to read the required material at the direction of the professor.

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Leave Granted in Fair Dealing in Education Case

Application Commented On: Supreme Court of Canada Leave to Appeal decision in Alberta (Education) v. Access Copyright

On May 5, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal Alberta (Education) v. Access Copyright, 2010 FCA 198, in which the Federal Court of Appeal decided that it is not fair dealing under the Copyright Act for a teacher to copy copyrighted materials for distribution to his or her class. This decision has been criticized as being inconsistent with the approach to fair dealing followed in SOCAN v. Bell Canada, 2010 FCA 123, which found that streaming music previews to consumers is fair dealing, and in CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada, 2004 SCC 13, [2004] 1 S.C.R. 339, in which the Supreme Court of Canada found that copying legal research materials for lawyers is fair dealing.

This is an important case which could clarify the law of fair dealing in education. I will be blogging on this case in due course.