The world of intellectual property law and marketing and advertising law has been undergoing significant change in response to the ongoing evolution of the Web and social media.

To properly serve their clients, in-house counsel and intellectual property lawyers must have more than a superficial acquaintance with the mechanics and the business implications of managing and protecting brands in a wired environment. The expansion of available domain names, cybersquatting, keyword advertising, the advent of “gripe sites” – these and other contemporary additions to the once-staid realm of IP law and practice present challenges for companies and their counsel. They increase the risks of brand dilution, unfair competition, “gone-viral” attacks on one’s brand and its associated goodwill, and even legal liability for the unwary.

A variety of existing and potential remedies exist – but which are the most effective? And how are the costs of enforcing one’s rights to be controlled in view of the amorphous, mobile and potentially almost limitless nature of the challenges brandowners face?

This new Osgoode Professional Development program brings together experts from Canada and the US to identify the legal and business risks that top companies and counsel are grappling with, and the strategies that are proving most effective in managing them.

Chair
John S. McKeown, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

OPD Program Lawyer

Paul Truster

ptruster@osgoode.yorku.ca