Who Are We?

The CIPP’s mission is to advance research and policy formation of intellectual property and innovation systems.

To achieve this mission the CIPP focuses on three interconnected priority areas:

• The CIPP carries out interdisciplinary research to understand the role of intellectual property policies and rules in contributing to creativity and innovation. In particular, the Centre examines if and how intellectual property contributes to broad social goals such as increased health, cultural development, access to information and economic growth.
• The CIPP enhances understanding of intellectual property and innovation systems among students at McGill University at the undergraduate, graduate and executive level, as well as within the community.
• The CIPP disseminates its research through workshops and conferences.

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Quarterly Newsletter

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News

— De quoi faire lever la propriété intellectuelle! Le CIPP est très heureux d'annoncer sa collaboration avec Lallemand pour présenter ses séminaires scientifiques en propriété intellectuelle pour l'année 2012-2013.

Intellectual property is on the rise! The CIPP is very proud to announce its collaboration with Lallemand in presenting scientific seminars in intellectual property in 2012-2013.
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— CIPP Seminars 2011-2012 - Professor Jason Mazzone - Copyfraud and Other Abuses of Intellectual Property Law
Quebec Bar - Accreditation of this activity is pending.
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— CIPP Seminar 2011-2012: Professor Pierre Larouche - "Apple, Google, Intel: high-tech giants in the line of fire of competition authorities"
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— CIPP Seminars Series 2011-2012 - Professor David Vaver from Osgoode Hall Law School - Faculty of Law, McGill University, 3644 Peel Street, Room 16
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— How Virtue Ethics Might Help Erase C-32’s Conceptual Incoherence
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IP News This Month

— The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a farmer infringed patents held by Monsanto when he obtained seeds from a grain elevator and replanted. Rejecting the farmer’s patent exhaustion argument as a “blame-the-bean” defense, the Court said he was permitted to use the seeds by eating or selling them -- but not planting them. The case comes at a time when US and other courts are looking closely at the scope of patentable subject matter.

— The government of Vermont has made an unprecedented strike against “unscrupulous patent trolls” by passing special legislation and filing a lawsuit, based on a consumer protection statute, against a troll that has sued hundreds of businesses and non-profits in the state. The move comes as politicians, supported by tech and retail companies, try to rein in extortionate IP practices -- but as trolls, backed by big bank accounts and large patent portfolios continue expand their operations.

— Courts are finally beginning to take harsh action against pervasive copyright trolling, in which lawyers identify downloaders (typically of porn) by IP addresses and sue them by the thousands in order to extract settlements around $4,000. A judge said the scheme exploits a “nexus of antiquated copyright laws, paralyzing social stigma, and unaffordable defense costs” and recommended a dramatic series of sanctions - including disbarment and a referral to the criminal division of the federal tax authority.
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