Nestled in Canada’s capital, the University of Ottawa law faculty has established itself as one of the country’s eminent law schools and influential centers shaping legal policy and education. As Canada’s largest bilingual university, the university of Ottawa faculty of law offers a range of academic programs in English and French across diverse legal traditions. Students can pursue studies in Common Law, Civil Law, and Indigenous legal systems, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
With over 50 full-time faculty and many notable visiting professors, the university of ottawa faculty of law provides rich specializations spanning Criminal Law, Human Rights Law, International Law, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property and Health Law among others. Given its prime location blocks from Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court of Canada, the faculty maintains deep connections within Ottawa’s policymaking circles. Its commitment to community engagement also supports numerous clinical education programs, public interest research groups and spaces promoting reflection on social justice issues. Building on its public interest focus, the University of Ottawa Law faculty also addresses responsible online gaming regulation.
University of Ottawa Law and Responsible Online Gaming
The University of Ottawa’s commitment to community and public interest extends to current issues in technology and social responsibility, including online gaming regulation. As online casinos grow in popularity in Canada, resources with expert insights on decent platforms provide essential information about the best Ontario online casinos, helping players make informed choices. This resource also offers quick facts about gambling in Ontario, a detailed comparison of top features of online casinos, and step-by-step guidance on how to start playing at online casinos, among other valuable insights.
The University of Ottawa’s focus on responsible gaming regulation aligns with its past initiatives, including the University of Ottawa Law and Technology Journal, which explored intersections of law, policy, and technological advancements.
University of Ottawa Law and Technology Journal
From 2003-2009, the u ottawa law faculty published the pioneering, bilingual University of Ottawa Law and Technology Journal (UOLTJ).
As a faculty-run, peer-reviewed periodical, the UOLTJ covered emerging issues and debates related to regulation, jurisprudence, ethics and policies connected to technological advancement in Canada and worldwide. The Le Droit Journal Ottawa positioned itself at the crossroads of ottowa law, public policy, philosophy and tech throughout its seven years of circulation.
Academic Programs and Specializations
The University of Ottawa Faculty of Law is uniquely structured to offer dedicated programs focused on Canada’s two dominant legal traditions – common law based on English precedents and civil law arising from French civil code. This bifurcated organization helps students gain comparative understandings while allowing each program to advance specialized, graduate-level legal education as well. The faculties harness University of Ottawa’s larger bilingual mission to prepare future lawyers to navigate Quebec’s hybrid civil-common law system as well as provincial variances nation-wide.
Within the English Common Law and French Droit civil concentrations, students can further tailor coursework based on interests in international law, social justice issues, environmental regulation, public policy and beyond. Small group learning facilitates opportunities to undertake intensive clinical placements, collaborate on public legal education outreach, or assist with major appellate cases in partnership with firms and rights organizations. Participation in national moot court competitions allow students to develop oral advocacy and presentation skills interacting with legal experts.
The University of Ottawa Faculty of Law also offers multiple joint graduate degree options as well, including:
- JD/MBA
- Canadian & American Dual JD
- JD/LLL (Master of Laws)
- JD/LLM (Master of Laws)
- Canadian & French Dual JD
These combined degree tracks enable students to specialize while bringing interdisciplinary perspectives to complex, multifaceted legal problems facing governments and multinational institutions. The faculty’s leading Legal Theory and Legal Research and Writing programs also prepare graduates to pursue careers in academia analyzing knotty philosophical concerns underlying modern legal debates.
Faculty Directory and Resources
The Universityofottawa faculty of law website provides a comprehensive directory outlining focus areas for over 50 full-time professors and faculty members spanning its Common Law and Civil Law departments. Listings provide complete University of Ottawa webmail information and office locations for in-person meetings on campus.
The public directory serves as a valuable index for external researchers, media, visiting scholars and prospective students evaluating potential supervisors for legal projects or graduate work at the u of ottawa law and droit civil programs. Civil law faculty members are noted for prominence in fields such as human rights, appellate litigation, corporate governance and technology regulation. Common law scholars boast expertise across criminal, constitutional, tax and aboriginal law specializations inter alia. Listings provide complete contact information and office locations for in-person meetings on campus.
The faculty directory thus functions as a microcosm of the university’s role nurturing legal progress in Canada. As the faculty continues expanding its roster of accomplished professors, this accessible reference promises to become further enriched. The University of Ottowa remains committed to upholding its reputation through faculty excellence across both common law and civil law departments.
Policy Considerations
As technology progresses, new questions around privacy protections and overreach arise. Legal scholars like Ryan Calo of the University of Washington School of Law and Ian Kerr of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, have warned policymakers against underestimating the power of big data systems to undermine personal privacy through methods categorized in frameworks like “A Classification for Privacy Techniques.” Debates continue around finding the right balance between national security interests, corporate profit incentives, and individual rights. The University of Ottawa Faculty of Law’s leadership in technology regulation and policy issues positions it well to inform these emerging discussions.
Monsanto Canada Inc v Schmeiser Case
In 2004, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a landmark patent ruling in the case of Monsanto vs Schmeiser that set legal precedents around genetically modified organisms. Agricultural biotechnology firm Monsanto had accused Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser of patent infringement for cultivating their genetically modified, glyphosate-resistant canola without license agreements. Monsanto sought financial compensation from Schmeiser via enforced license fees for actively growing my monsanto patented innovations. However, Schmeiser maintained his crop contained Monsanto’s genetic traits accidentally through contamination, and he derived no profit intentionally from the patented cells.
In a narrow 5-4 majority, the Court ruled Schmeiser violated Monsanto’s patent given undisputed evidence his 1998 canola fields contained heavy Roundup Ready concentration implausible via unintentional cross-pollination alone. Schmeiser had discovered the genetic resistance in 1997 plants and proceeded to harvest and replant the seed, exploiting Monsanto intellectual property to his benefit. Despite this infringement, the unanimous Court concurred Schmeiser need not pay Monsanto any damages since the invention itself did not amount to a realized commercial advantage, which hinged on whether Schmeiser profited specifically because of it.
The ramifications of this verdict significantly expanded patent enforcement rights of agricultural biotechnology corporations like Monsanto across Canada. However, limits remained regarding collecting royalties or damages from independent farmers without clear agreements in place even when actively cultivating patented traits. The Court sought balance between justly shielding Monsanto research investments while adopting limited restraints given unresolved fears around genetic engineering and food security. Nonetheless, the ruling reinforced Canada’s support for legal incentives driving vital innovation in genetically modifying crops while trying to maintain public confidence in ethical corporate stewardship as biotech permeates global food systems.
“Le Droit” Newspaper
Since 1913, the daily newspaper “Le Droit” has established itself as a venerable insititution informing and advocating for Francophone communities and issues across Ontario and Western Quebec. Founded in response to the controversial 1912 Ontario Regulation 17 limiting French language instruction, “Le Droit” aimed to unite French Canadians against escalating assimilationist pressures. As one of Canada’s few remaining independent French-language dailies, “Le Droit” continues defending linguistic rights and bringing essential news to minority groups.
“Le Droit” reports on stories of national interest through a distinctly French-Canadian perspective via its Ottawa headquarters. Over a century covering Eastern Ontario and Outaouais regions cultivated extensive local insight while elevating community voices. This provincial focus helps explain nuances in how broader news events affect French Ontarians specifically on issues like education, healthcare, economic policies and more. Such niche coverage provides a rich lens into evolving Franco-Ontarian identity as it navigates between English dominance and Quebec influences.
While readership statistics indicate Francophones make up the majority of “Le Droit’s” 45,000 daily circulation, devoted Anglophone readers recognize its contributions sustaining Canada’s fragile national bilingualism project. As technological disruption increasingly jeopardizes print media viability, the tight-knight organization of “Le Droit” and Ottawa’s political gravity looks to sustain its role advancing minority perspectives through quality, balanced journalism.
Location and Community Engagement
The University of Ottawa campus and its Faculty of Law facilities appropriate Canada’s parliamentary locale into a symbiotic relationship. Its central downtown position adjacent to national institutions like the Supreme Court, Library of Parliament, and federal departments fosters steady civic engagement. The proximity engenders collaboration on legal briefs, policy guidance and injecting progressive academic discourse into the machinery of governance.
Concurrently, the commanding Gothic revivalist architecture of the Faculty of Law’s Fauteux Hall reinforces the school’s eminent presence. Opened in 1974 with additions in 2009, the building houses common rooms, a courtroom for teaching advocacy skills and the Brian Dickson Law Library with contemporary study spaces for students. The library notably shares certain print collections with the Supreme Court, symbolizing their interdependent missions to make sound laws knowable.
The faculty also furthers its applied legal mandate operating Community Legal Clinics in partnership with local practitioners to deliver pro bono services assisting marginalized groups. Clinical placements allow students working shoulder-to-shoulder with faculty to gain firsthand public interest litigation experience before Ontario courts and tribunals. The faculty’s Human Rights Research and Education Centre, Centre for Environmental Law and Globalization and Centre for Law, Technology and Society similarly extend academic findings through public outreach.
Introduction: Intellectual Property and Technology Law
The University of Ottawa Law & Technology Journal serves as a rich repository of scholarly articles that delve into the intricate relationship between law, technology, and intellectual property. With contributions from esteemed legal scholars and practitioners, the Journal offers a diverse array of perspectives on how legal frameworks interact with and adapt to technological advancements and copyright challenges. Below is a curated selection of articles from the Journal, each providing unique insights into the evolving landscape of technology law and intellectual property rights. These summaries aim to shed light on the key themes and arguments presented in the respective works, offering a glimpse into the depth and breadth of the discussions contained within these PDFs.
- “Sweat of the Brow, Creativity, and Authorship: On Originality in Canadian Copyright Law” by Abraham Drassinower: This article likely explores the concept of originality in Canadian copyright law, focusing on the legal standards for creativity and authorship, possibly contrasting them with the ‘sweat of the brow’ doctrine.
- “Copyrights and Creative Copying” by Anne Bartow: This work may delve into the boundaries between legal copyrights and creative copying, discussing the fine line between inspiration and infringement in intellectual property law.
- “University of Ottawa Law & Technology Journal” (Volume 3.2) by Matthew Rimmer: This piece could provide insights into the intersection of law and technology, possibly discussing contemporary issues in this field as explored in the University of Ottawa Law & Technology Journal’s volume.
- “University of Ottawa Law & Technology Journal” (Volume 2.1) by various authors: This volume likely covers a range of topics at the intersection of law and technology, with various authors contributing articles on subjects like copyright law, digital rights, and technology’s impact on legal frameworks.
- “Right to Oblivion movement” discussion in University of Ottawa Law & Technology Journal: An article discussing the ‘Right to Oblivion’ movement, which advocates for the ability to have certain types of content removed from the internet or digital records, reflecting on privacy and information control.
- Article by Calo and Ian Kerr: This piece might explore warnings or perspectives from Calo of the University of Washington School of Law and Ian Kerr of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, potentially on issues related to censorship, technology, and law.
- “Law and Technology Journal” (Volume 2.2, p.291-314, 2005): This article, given the context of law and technology, might discuss legal aspects related to technology, possibly exploring themes like intellectual property, digital rights, or the impact of technology on legal systems.
- “The Evolution of Originality in Canadian Copyright Law: Authorship, Reward and the Public Interest” by Carys Craig: This work likely examines how the concept of originality has evolved in Canadian copyright law, focusing on the balance between authorship rights, public interest, and the rewards system in the creative industry.
Each of these articles represents a facet of the broader discussion on law, technology, copyright, and digital rights, offering insights and perspectives unique to their authors’ expertise and research areas.
Canadian Copyright Law
Canadian copyright law protection falls under the authority of the federal Copyright Act, which defines the rights afforded authors and creators regarding published literary, dramatic, artistic and musical works. For a work to qualify for copyright defense, the Copyright Act requires it satisfy originality standards without precisely borrowing from prior works. In Canada, claiming copyright protection for a work flows automatically from the act of authorship itself rather than via formal registration processes. Rights exist regardless of profit motivations, meaning amateur artistic works used just for personal enjoyment receive equal defenses as commercial media products.
Le Droit, a french newspaper located in Ottawa, continues defending linguistic rights and bringing essential news to minority groups across ontario as one of Canada’s few remaining independent french-language daily newspapers that make up journal ottawa.
Summary
For over 150 years, the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law educated generations of future jurists, public servants and political leaders who inherited the school’s commitment to bilingualism, minority representation and pluralistic legal understandings. Its prime location in Canada’s capital allows sustained integration of academic excellence into the machinery driving national governance. Robust clinical education components similarly bridge campus classrooms into communities through pro bono assistance navigating complex regulatory systems.
From the pioneering UOLTJ providing rare French-language insights across technology’s disruptive relationship with law through to graduate programs synthesizing legal theory into interconnected social dimensions, Ottawa Law students engage deeply with statutes’ abilities and limits transforming societies. As the faculty expands its roster of distinguished professors while enhancing digital databases, experiential learning and spaces to deliberate over enduring legal quandaries, it remains poised to elevate tomorrow’s voices aiming to perfect Canada’s still unfinished justice project.