Google Books

Judge Chin of the District Court of New York held today that the Google Books scanning project is ‘fair use’, granting Google’s motion for summary judgment. Google has scanned more than 20 million books and includes the results in its search engine. The Authors Guild and individual authors sued for copyright infringement and sought class action status. The Authors Guild has indicated it will appeal the decision.

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Appointments and Retirement

Justice Marc Nadon of the Federal Court of Appeal was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada yesterday. He was a judge of the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal since 1993.

Justice Snider of the Federal Court, who wrote many leading intellectual property decisions, is retiring effective October 12, 2013. Also, earlier this week the government appointed judges to the British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, PEI and Quebec courts.

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Federal Court of Appeal upholds Eurocopter decision

The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal and cross-appeal in the Bell Helicopter v. Eurocopter proceeding. The Court included discussion of inventive concept, utility, sound prediction, and punitive damages. Some quotes from the decision:

  • “It seems to me that calculations and mathematical modeling are, by their very essence, a prediction of a given utility.”
  • “Where a person infringes a patent which it knows to be valid, appropriates the invention as its own, and markets it as its own knowing this to be untrue, punitive damages may be awarded when an accounting for profits or compensatory damages would be inadequate to achieve the objectives of retribution, deterrence and denunciation of such conduct.”

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Eli Lilly Files Notice of Arbitration

Eli Lilly has filed a Notice of Arbitration in its NAFTA claim against Canada stating: “Canada’s ‘promise utility doctrine,’ applied by Canadian courts to invalidate the Strattera and Zyprexa patents, is contrary to Canada’s treaty obligations to protect patent rights and has resulted in the unlawful expropriation of Lilly’s intellectual property.”

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Common List of Authorities

The Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal have issued Notices to the Profession announcing a list of common authorities for patent and trade-mark litigation. Cases on the list are “deemed to be included in the book of authorities” but “if a party intends to refer to one of these authorities, the passage upon which they will rely should be included”. Continue reading Common List of Authorities

Canadian Intellectual Property