Microsoft / Activision deal prevented to protect innovation and choice in cloud gaming
In a surprising move by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, they have blocked Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard not over the primary concerns of owning the Call of Duty IP but expanding their monopoly over Cloud gaming. A particular issue I am interested in raised by the UK is Microsoft’s cloud gaming service “was […]
Winnie the Pooh is… horrifying?
I was intrigued to hear that since the copyright for Winnie the Pooh expired in January 2022 (at least, the copyright for the original novels) that we’re about to see what the public domain can do to a beloved childhood character! While the cartoon versions of the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods are still […]
Hayley Williams CBC Interview
Hello everyone! I wanted to share this interview I heard earlier this term on CBC with Hayley Williams from the band Paramore. She addresses the topic we discussed fairly lengthily about predatory record label contracts, in regards to how she was originally offered a solo contract as a teenager that she turned down in order […]
The Writers Guild of America Could Go on Strike
The Writers Guild of America (“WGA”) is a labour union representing thousands of creators who write scripted series, features, news programs, and other content. WGA is currently in active negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (“AMPTP”) for a new contract, and a strike could occur if a new deal isn’t reached […]
Deepfakes and the 2024 US Election
Deepfakes could become a major issue with regards to the 2024 election in the United States. There have already been examples of AI-generated images and videos, and deepfakes circulating of politicians. As technology makes deepfakes more realistic and easier to create this is leading to concerns about the spreading of misinformation. Article below: https://www.wired.com/story/chatgpt-generative-ai-deepfake-2024-us-presidential-election/
Chat GPT Now Has Private Mode
After being heavily criticized by privacy experts and pundits, ChatGPT has finally released a feature in which users can take advantage of the tool while opting out of sharing their input. This has quite a few implications: First, from the perspective of internet privacy advocates, this is a win. However, it does not remove other […]
Disney sues Florida governor Ron DeSantis
In the latest legal developments between Disney and FL governor Ron DeSantis, Disney has filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, the DeSantis-appointed board, and Florida Department of Economic Opportunity acting secretary Meredith Ivey. Disney seeks an injunction against the board’s move to nullify the agreement Disney reached with the previous board before it was dissolved that […]
Internet Defamation Law Clarified
The recent ruling in Pineau v. KMI Publishing and Events Ltd. by the B.C. Court of Appeal has clarified an important distinction in internet defamation cases. While sharing a hyperlink to a defamatory article created by a third party does not establish liability, sharing a hyperlink to one’s own defamatory article can impact damage assessment. […]
AI creators must study consciousness, experts warn
Dozens of academics worldwide are urging AI developers to explore the depths of consciousness as AI systems advance. While AI having emotions and human-like consciousness may no longer be confined to science fiction, experts agree we’re far from reaching that level of sophistication. However, AI is rapidly evolving, leading some to advocate for a pause […]
Snapchat joining the AI game
If you’re a Snapchat user, you’ve probably encountered their new feature, “My AI,” & if you’re like anyone else, you probably have mixed feelings about it. Well, you’re not alone. Powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology, My AI is pinned at the top of users’ chat feeds. Only paid subscribers can remove it (sparking many users’ […]
UK and Canada Online Safety Bills
As Canada works on various legislation regarding regulation of the internet, the UK is also discussing a Bill aimed at tackling the difficult issue of internet regulation. Mentioned in some class presentations, the Online Safety Bill is currently in the House of Lords at the Committee Stage, and its progress can be followed on the […]
“AI rights”? US Supreme Court won’t hear case arguing for patents to be issued to inventions made by AI
The plaintiff Stephen Thaler sought to have patents issued for inventions made by his Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS) system but his applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office and the US Court of Appeals were rejected because US patent law allows for patents to be issued solely to human […]
Did Ed Sheeran Copy His Hit song, “Thinking Out Loud”?
Remember Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” released in September 2014? It ranked No. 2 on the Hot 100 before winning Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. Almost 10 years later, Ed Sheeran is now being taken to court for copyright infringement of the song “Let’s […]
EU soon regulating deep fakes for the first time?
Hello everyone! In 2021 the European Commission has proposed the EU AI act, a first attempt of regulating AI at European Union level and about 2 years later it seems like the proposal will soon be adopted by the EU, that is why I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect a bit […]
Elon Musk threatens to sue Microsoft over Twitter data
Elon Musk has threatened to sue Microsoft, claiming that the tech giant has used data from his social media company without permission. Musk made the accusation in a tweet, stating that Microsoft had “trained illegally using Twitter data”. He did not provide further details or evidence to support his claim. The dispute arose after Microsoft […]
Cleopatra Casting Controversy
A new Netflix docudrama series depicting Queen Cleopatra VII as a black African has stirred up controversy in Egypt after an Egyptian lawyer filed a complaint against the series, accusing it of violating media laws and trying to erase Egyptian identity. The lawyer demanded that “the necessary legal measures” be taken, and he ultimately wants […]
Fan fiction author seeking $250 million
A fan fiction writer who wrote a novel based on “The Lord of the Rings” series is suing Amazon and the estate of “The Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien for copyright infringement. The fan fiction writer, whose novel is registered with the US Copyright office, claims Amazon’s show “The Lord of the Rings:The […]
Love is… live?
On Sunday April 16th, over 6 million viewers were tuned in and waiting for the love is blind live reunion special to air at 5pm. Watch parties at home and in bars were in full swing. However at 5pm nothing was happening. Social media was going crazy trying to find out if this was a […]
Fox News and Fake News
You have probably all heard about Fox’s defamation lawsuit by now. In short, Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox News for $1.6 billion claiming that Fox News repeatedly promoted that voting machines were rigged against Trump denying him reelection. The judge presiding the case already found that these allegations about the election being rigged were not […]
A man is suing Netflix for over $1M after his Instagram photo is used in a true crime documentary
Taylor Hazlewood is suing Netflix for defamation and misappropriation of likeness or right of publicity after his Instagram photo was used in The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, a Netflix documentary about convicted murderer Caleb “Kai” McGillvary. Hazlewood only found out that his photo was used when friends messaged him, asking why he was on Netflix. Article […]
AI-generated song by ‘Drake’ and ‘The Weeknd’ goes viral: the power of AI in music
I stumbled upon this article about a new song from Drake and The Weeknd, titled ‘Heart on my Sleeve’. This new track has been trending for the past week, which I can confirm since I have heard this song multiple times on social media. However, much to my surprise, this song is completely made by […]
Digital Manipulations of Actors Presentation
Here’s the slides of my (Sam’s) presentation on deepfakes and actors with the videos (hopefully) all in working order. Just enable content in Power Point to watch the youtube videos.
Spring 2023 Class 13
Slides & video below
Formula One: Balancing Safety & Entertainment
I came across this article highlighting recent issues with Formula One red flag decisions. This article goes more in-depth with the three red flag calls, how they impacted the race and the merits of the decisions. At particular issue is the second red flag. When it happened, Verstappen was the race leader with an 8 […]
Celebrity “Faces Off” Against Deep Fake AI App Over Right of Publicity
As we’ve discussed in class, generative AI (GAI) applications have raised many copyright issues, including the right to publicity. A class action lawsuit has been filed against NeoCortext, Inc. for allegedly violating the California Right of Publicity statute by using celebrity images in its deep-fake app, Reface, without permission.
Arkansas Enacts Legislation Restricting Social Media Accounts for Minors
A few weeks ago I shared an article about Utah enacting legislation restricting minors’ usage of the internet. It appears that Arkansas has followed suit, which raises the question of how many more states and subsequently countries will pursue this sort of legislation. Will it be effective? Summary: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the […]
Video Game Industry feeling the “Crunch”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/03/24/crunch-laws/ Hi everyone, I thought I would bring this article to everyone’s attention. It discusses how U.S. labour laws have many exemptions that contributed to the frequent experiences of time crunch in the industry (e.g., needing to work an extra 20hr on top of a standard 40hr work week). The author raises several key developments […]
ChatGPT: Not only reliable for bibliographies and outlines!
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/19/ai-makes-plagiarism-harder-to-detect-argue-academics-in-paper-written-by-chatbot Good morning everyone! In class, we’ve frequently discussed the potential uses of ChatGPT in academia and reasoned that it is not reliable enough to write complex papers at a high academic level. This is why I wanted to bring this article to everyone’s attention. Synopsis: “An academic paper entitled Chatting and Cheating: Ensuring Academic Integrity in […]
Implications of AI: Barrier to Educational Equality?
I came across this interesting article that talks about the implications of AI in education that aren’t just about cheating, but also educational equality. AI presents a threat to equity in education with some people having access to AI tools like ChatGPT, but some others don’t. How is it fair that one student could spend […]
Spring 2023 Class 12
Slides & video below…
Media restrictions imposed during Vancouver tent removal sparks freedom of press debate
Restrictions were placed on journalists during the eviction of unhoused people from the Downtown Eastside on Wednesday – they were allowed one camera that could share the footage with all the media outlets and were limited in their movements via an “exclusion zone”. The Vancouver police said it was for the safety and privacy of […]
ChatGPT passes US medical licensing exam with flying colours
ChatGPT-4, the latest version from OpenAI, answered US medical exam licensing questions correctly more than 90% of the time and managed to diagnose a rare condition. Not only could it do this, but it was excellent at translating patient concerns from other languages and providing tips on communication and bedside manner. Regardless of this accomplishment, […]
The Rise of Streaming Platform Kick
In the first article linked below, popular streamer Ninja discusses the potential of upcoming streaming platform Kick. The most enticing aspect of Kick is its 95-5 revenue split (which is a massive improvement from Twitch’s 50-50 split). Streamers are able to keep a significant more amount of money from their earnings on Kick. However, while […]
Man who sued Gwyneth Paltrow over ski crash regrets ever filing lawsuit
I thought that this was an interesting perspective to share from an unsuccessful plaintiff. For those of you who have not followed this publicized trial, Gwyneth Paltrow has been found not liable for a 2016 serious ski accident which caused the claimant (man) to allegedly suffer “permanent traumatic brain injury, 4 broken ribs, pain, suffering, […]
Rise of the Machines: How AI is Shaking Up the Music Industry
AI is poised to revolutionize the music industry, but it also presents significant legal challenges for music rights holders and users. AI is being used for personalized playlists, music editing and production, and even creating new music. The US Copyright Office has launched an initiative to examine copyright law and policy issues raised by AI. […]
UFC & WWE Merger
This kind of came out of left field, and the news that it was a possibility came only days before it was a reality. Here’s a link to a short Reuters article disclosing the merger. This will likely have a huge impact on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), since the UFC is the central promotion in […]
Rigging Laws and Reality TV
Reality shows like Survivor revolutionized televised contests in the early 2000s. However, shortly after the first season, issues with rigging these type of shows already began to surface. Stillman, a contestant on season 1 of Survivor, sued the production team, alleging that they had rigged the contest to get her voted off the show instead […]
Spring 2023 Class 11
Slides & video below…
Canadian couple lost almost $10K in deepfake phone scam
Here’s an article that came up on my homepage about a couple in St. John’s, NL who lost $9800 after they received a phone call from someone claiming to be their son. The couple was convinced that the voice on the phone was their son’s and that he was in police custody. Phone scams using […]
Illegal Game Show Practices
On Tuesday, Sara, Faustine and I will be leading a discussion on the law surrounding game shows. We will begin with a game of jeopardy with questions relating to game shows, and then move on to a more in depth discussion on the central legal issues. The two main focuses of the follow-up discussion will […]
DeepFakers Presentation Slides
As promised, here is a link to access the presentation done on Deepfakes from March 28th. Slides 46 to 47 include DIY links on how to make your own Deepfakes. Enjoy ☺! (Brought to you by Brittney MacBean, Aki Kamoshida, Chris LeSage, Melodie Ureten, and Ricky Tristan).