TORONTO, October 16, 2008 -- Osgoode Hall Law School of York University launched IP Osgoode – its innovative new Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Technology Program – on Wednesday, October 15 at a reception attended by two Ontario Cabinet ministers as well as other prominent members of government, the legal community, the judiciary and academia.
The Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation for Ontario, and the Honourable Michael Bryant, Minister of Economic Development, were among the well-wishers to congratulate Osgoode Hall Law School on the launch of IP Osgoode, an independent and authoritative voice on intellectual property issues.
Osgoode is partnering with five leading law firms – Cassels Brock & Blackwell, Gowling Lafleur Henderson, McCarthy Tétrault, Ogilvy Renault and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt – and industry leaders Audio-Video Licensing Agency Inc. and Copyright Collective of Canada/Société de perception de droit d'auteur du Canada in this groundbreaking initiative.
An impressive IP Osgoode Advisory Board has also been assembled, which includes the Honourable Justice Marshall Rothstein, the Honourable Justice Roger T. Hughes, the Honourable Justice Karen M. Weiler, and a group of leading Canadian IP practitioners.
“With the launch of this new program, Osgoode will be in a unique position to educate and prepare our next generation of lawyers to compete and succeed in a knowledge-based society,” Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan said at the public launch of IP Osgoode, which took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto in conjunction with the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC).
“We believe that there is a need for a much more robust public policy debate on IP and related technology law issues in Canada,” Monahan said. “The creation of IP Osgoode, and our ability to provide useful policy options, will better ensure a balance in policy and law-making processes.”
Helping to shape IP Osgoode will be Professor David Vaver, an iconic figure in the field of intellectual property law, who will be returning to Osgoode in 2009 as Professor of Intellectual Property Law after a decade at the University of Oxford as the Reuters Professor of Intellectual Property & Information Technology Law and Director of the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre.
Other members of the IP Osgoode team include Osgoode Professors Giuseppina D'Agostino (Founder and Director of IP Osgoode), Carys Craig, Ikechi Mgbeoji and Rex Shoyama.
In addition to a variety of academic courses focusing on topics such as copyright, digital copyright, trademarks, international intellectual property and intellectual property theory, special features of the IP Osgoode program will include a new IP Osgoode Web site (www.iposgoode.ca); an online blog (ipilogue.ca), with high-profile guest bloggers, student editors and daily postings; and a series of special events and presentations by internationally respected IP experts.
“We need to see a more balanced, objective approach to the IP debate and IP Osgoode will fill that niche,” said D’Agostino. “In particular, the new IP Osgoode Web site will be the go-to place on IP matters. It is a new source of information and inspiration, not just for our students, but for anyone who is interested in IP.”
Osgoode Hall Law School of York University has a proud history of more than 100 years of leadership and innovation in legal education and legal scholarship. Osgoode offers a three-year Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Program; a Graduate Program, with thesis-based Master of Laws (LLM) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs; and part-time degree programs and continuing legal education courses through Osgoode Professional Development.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as more than 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 26 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
-30-
For further information, please contact:
Virginia Corner
Communications Manager
Osgoode Hall Law School of York University
416-736-5820
