Looking Back On 2015 In Canadian IP Law And Practice

With 2015 behind us and a new year ahead, we have selected our top 10 highlights from Canadian IP law and practice in the past year.

1. The Supreme Court of Canada affirms the principle of technological neutrality in Canadian Copyright law

The much anticipated decision in CBC v SODRAC, 2015 SCC 57, was issued by the Supreme Court of Canada on November 26, 2015. We first discussed this decision in our November 30, 2015 IP Update.

In affirming that even incidental copies of a work made to facilitate broadcasting will engage the reproduction right and require a license, the Court emphasized the role of the core principle of technological neutrality in statutory interpretation under the Copyright Act.