Ontario’s Rules for Distributing Securities Abroad: How They May Impact Security Token Offerings
As reported in our previous notice, the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) recently introduced Rule 72-503 Distributions Outside Canada (“Rule 72-503”), which came into force on March 31, 2018, and set out rules applicable to the issuances of securities outside of...
BIM, Blockchain and the Smart Construction Contract
While the construction industry has traditionally been criticized for being too slow to innovate, the last several years have seen it embrace new business practices, new software and new technologies. The increased use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a...
Canadian Tax Ramifications in Connection with Exchanging Cryptocurrency for Cash
There are now over 1,300 cryptocurrencies available online, Bitcoin being the most popular, with new initial coin offerings, or “ICOs”, being announced on what seems like a daily basis. Bitcoin made headlines at the end of 2017 as the price...
Canadian Tax Ramifications in Connection with Exchanging Cryptocurrency for Cash
There are now over 1,300 cryptocurrencies available online, Bitcoin being the most popular, with new initial coin offerings, or “ICOs”, being announced on what seems like a daily basis. Bitcoin made headlines at the end of 2017 as the price...
“Smart” Entertainment on the Blockchain
Until recently, musicians and film producers would release their works hoping piracy would not do away with all of their revenue. Then they would wait as publishers, distributors, YouTube, Spotify, collectives, etc. collected royalties, took their cut and then paid...
Privacy Commissioner Gearing Up for Tougher Enforcement
On September 21, 2017, in a press conference following the publication of his 2016-17 Annual Report to Parliament on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Privacy Act, the Privacy Commissioner (the “Commissioner”) announced his plans to...
Alexandre Ajami is quoted in World Trademark Review blog article on geographical indication (GI) rights
World Trademark Review, "New opportunities for GI protection in Canada; food brands warned to tread carefully"
The article discusses the changes that have been made to Canada’s system of GI rights as a result of amendments to Canada’s Trademarks Act. Alexandre Ajami makes predictions as to how these changes will affect filings for GI, in addition to...
The Act to Implement CETA Comes Into Force and Extends Protection to Additional Geographical Indications
Most of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act (CETA Implementation Act) came into force on September 21, 2017. Among other things, this Act expands protection for geographical indications (GIs) and is of interest for anyone involved...
Changes Proposed to the Oversight of Retail Payments in Canada
This summer the federal Department of Finance released a discussion paper regarding the oversight framework for retail payment systems in Canada. The paper proposes a number of changes to the way the retail payment systems in Canada are regulated. These...
The CSA Weighs in on Cryptocurrency Offerings
With the increasing popularity of blockchain-based digital currencies, many businesses see them as a unique way to raise funds, while investors consider them to be part of a diversified investment portfolio. Recognizing that securities law may, in some circumstances, apply...
