Cassels Brock Recognized as Copyright Firm of the Year

Firm also recognized for Copyright Case of the Year

TORONTO, April 3, 2012 /CNW/ - Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP received two prestigious Intellectual Property awards, Copyright Firm of the Year (Canada) and Copyright Case of the Year (Canada), at an awards ceremony held March 27, 2012 in Washington, DC.

The awards, presented by Managing Intellectual Property, recognize law firms working on innovative and challenging IP work from the previous year. Leading law firms across the United States and Canada are honoured, as well as outstanding individuals driving the Intellectual Property market.

The award for Copyright Case of the Year recognized Cassels Brock's work on the settlement of Northey v. Sony Music Entertainment Canada et al., the largest copyright class action in Canadian history, which led to a complete overhaul of the system for licensing musical works for use on physical sound recordings (usually known as "mechanical licensing") in Canada.

Cassels Brock IP lawyers are anticipating new changes to Canada's copyright law with the imminent third reading of Bill C-11, the government's controversial Copyright Modernization Act.  This is the third effort by the Conservative government, since 2008, to modernize Canada's copyright law. Bill C-11 represents Canada's attempt to deal with challenging issues like technological protection measures (or "digital locks"), ISP liability, time-shifting and user-generated content. If passed, this will mark the first time in 15 years that the Act has been substantially amended.

"Changes to Canada's copyright laws are long overdue," states Casey Chisick, a partner at Cassels Brock and one of Canada's leading copyright lawyers, "and the government has tried to strike a balance between the rights of copyright owners and the interests of users. The more difficult question is whether it has succeeded."

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a leading Canadian law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy and advisory needs of Canada's most dynamic business sectors. One of the largest business law practices in Canada, the firm represents multinational, national and mid-market entities and is dedicated to providing value-driven advice in the areas of intellectual property-including copyrights, trademarks, patents and industrial design - corporate and commercial law, tax, real estate, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, advocacy and dispute resolution, and international business.

For further information:

For information, or to interview Casey Chisick, contact: Teresa Donia, iAMBIC Communications, 905-508-5550 or [e-mail]