Monday’s Mix

Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award­-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from sixty recent Clawbie winners. In this way we hope to promote their work, with their permission, to as wide an audience as possible.

This week the randomly selected blogs are 1. Barry Sookman  2. Entertainment & Media Law Signal 3. Lee Akazaki  4. IPilogue  5. FamilyLLB

Barry Sookman
Budget Bill with copyright amendments tabled in House of Commons

The Government tabled legislation in Parliament today to implement certain provisions of the budget. The Bill summarizes the following key legislative provisions of interest to readers of this blog as follows: amends the Copyright Act to extend the term of copyright protection for a published sound recording and a performer’s performance fixed in a published sound recording from 50 years to 70 years after publication; …

Entertainment & Media Law Signal
Ontario Passes Protecting Child Performers Act

On April 30, 2015, Ontario passed Bill 17, entitled the Protecting Child Performers Act; on May 5, 2015, Bill 17 received Royal Assent, and so, by its terms, the Act will come into force in February 2016 (nine months from Royal Assets). As set out in Section 2 of the Act, its purpose is to “promote the best interests, protection and well being of child performers”. …

Lee Akazaki
Dennis Edney’s House Guest Omar Khadr: Could it have happened in Ontario?

One of the terms of Omar Khadr’s release pending his lawyers’ appeal of his U.S. convictions is that he must live with his lawyer Dennis Edney and wife Patricia in Edmonton, Alberta. In response to this news, an Ontario law professor colleague mused whether Edney’s agreement to house the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner was a breach of lawyers’ ethics. …

IPilogue
A Shared Cabin in the Woods? Joss Whedon Hit with $10 Million Dollar Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

In the words of Taylor Swift, Joss Whedon is probably singing: “Are we out of the woods yet?” On April 13th, author Peter Gallagher (no, not the actor known for playing a cool dad on The O.C.) hit Whedon – director and producer of The Avengers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer – with a massive copyright infringement lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages. …

FamilyLLB
How Blameworthy Conduct Can Affect Retroactive Child Support

Perhaps it’s trite to say: Divorce does not bring out the best in people. The Ontario family courts are filled with litigation that is often spurred or exacerbated by bad behaviour, lack of cooperation, and unreasonable posturing by one or both parents. …

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*Randomness here is created by Random.org and its list randomizing function.