Protecting intellectual property rights in the digital age
Keeping pace with the rapid evolution of digital media and e-commerce.
The rise of the internet, digital media and e-commerce has created unlimited opportunity for businesses and brands. However, the legal landscape has created new challenges and obstacles to the enforcement and protection of intellectual property rights.
The protection and enforcement of digital IP assets
Both digital media and e-commerce are vital components of our modern economy. Every second, businesses and individuals create and acquire digital assets and use internet-based e-commerce to buy and sell a vast array of products and services.
The skill, money and labour required for digital innovation and the rapid speed of digital change make it is increasingly important to have an effective strategy to protect and exploit valuable digital IP assets.
The enforcement and protection of digital IP assets such as music, movies, videos and software are under copyright protection, but the ease can be challenging and complex due to their ease of reproduction and distribution. In order to ensure rights are effectively protected and enforced, strategies for IP protection must be ever-evolving to keep up with new technologies and stay on the cutting-edge of digital IP law.
Canada’s thriving digital media industry
Digital media and e-commerce are rapidly growing industries in Canada, a global leader in investment opportunities for international digital media companies. Canada is an important part of the global digital economy and is world-renowned for its innovation. Smart & Biggar is actively involved in Canadian intellectual property policy and legislation and plays an active part in major organizations that develop and promote the Canadian digital media industry.
The global challenges of digital IP
Global digital IP rights can create complex jurisdictional issues with differing IP laws in countries around the world. Global digital IP protection remains challenging but with a vast network of skilled contacts worldwide, Smart & Biggar offers the strategic management of international digital IP portfolios.
Technical expertise
Smart & Biggar is at the forefront of protecting intellectual property rights on the Internet. We understand that companies and individuals can face significant legal challenges in protecting their digital IP. Our deep and current knowledge of the complex and rapidly changing technologies in the digital media and e-commerce sectors allows us to offer integrated, forward-thinking, effective IP counsel to our clients.
Legal expertise
We are the largest firm in Canada specializing in intellectual property law. We possess the expertise and experience to safeguard your competitive position by providing unparalleled IP counsel. Smart & Biggar is committed to protecting our digital media and e-commerce clients with sophisticated, tailored and focused IP strategies. We regularly assist clients in removing infringing content from private, commercial and social media websites, and have assisted clients in resolving fraudulent impersonation online. We regularly work with Internet service providers and law enforcement to achieve successful results. Smart & Biggar is a leader in the digital media space and our ability to creatively and strategically protect and exploit our clients’ innovation is unmatched.
Our depth of experience is unmatched
Our strength and experience in IP issues affecting digital media is unparalleled in Canada. From ground-breaking start-ups to some of the largest innovators in the world, each of our clients has a unique set of goals and challenges.
Our digital media & Internet IP services include:
- Copyright acquisition, registration, clearance, and enforcement
- Negotiating and drafting copyright licences and assignments
- Trademark registration, enforcement, and surveillance
- Removing infringing content from the Internet, including from social media, commercial and private websites
- Recovering and taking down domain names through domain name arbitration proceedings (URDP, URS, and CDRP)
- Negotiating the purchase and sale of domain names
- Litigation, including copyright and trademark infringement, forced disclosure of customer information from Internet service providers, cybersquatting, and counterfeiting
- Conducting due diligence on domain name and website ownership
- Strategic counselling for online brand protection
- Registering domain names, including in new gTLDs
- Drafting policies, agreements and , licences
- Privacy advice