I'm a lawyer at Gilbert's LLP in Toronto, working with music, entertainment and tech clients. Email me at paul at gilbertslaw.ca. I play drums in The Rural Alberta Advantage. Reach...
Latest Blogs
How Patents Can Make Music Sound Bad (or Good)
PaulI finally got a pair of wireless earbuds. I wanted them for zoom calls for our new remote way of life, but also for freedom […]
Canadian Musician Podcast – Vaccine Passports & Live Music: What Could the Near Future Hold?
I was honoured to be a guest on the Canadian Musician Podcast this week to talk about the concept (and legality) of vaccination passports, and […]
Using Creative Commons Licensed Music? Take a Beat and Do it Right.
Yesterday I wrote a blog post about open source software licenses for Slingshot, my law firm’s legal service for start-ups and small businesses (I promise […]
Can Vaccine Passports Save Live Music?
Could COVID-19 Vaccine Passports save live music? The concept is that a proof-of-vaccine card (or app) could allow people to rejoin aspects of normal, congregating […]
The Toronto Music Advisory Committee in 2021 – Come Watch, Speak and Create Change
Meetings of the City of Toronto Music Advisory Committee have been set for 2021. Meetings are open to the public. TMAC makes recommendations to the […]
Has Music Streaming Growth Slowed Down During the Pandemic?
I noticed a few articles recently reporting that, contrary to expectations, music streaming growth slowed down or flattened in 2020. This was despite an increase […]
Toronto Music Venues with Merch for Sale
Twenty-two Toronto music venues closed in 2020, and many more are at risk of closing. Many people aren’t in a position to help others right […]
Can You Get Sued for (allegedly) Ripping Off Your Own Music? John Fogerty did.
Here’s something that happens semi-frequently – my band is writing a song and it’s feeling good, catchy, but also somehow familiar. And then we realize […]
A COVID-19 Relief Bill Creates a New Court for U.S. Copyright Disputes
*UPDATE: On December 27, 2020, the CASE Act was signed into law, and a new U.S. small claims copyright court was born. You probably heard […]
Public Domain Day 2021 – More Music is Soon Free of Copyright in the USA… What about Canada?
Copyright terms (e.g. years of protection) for music differ in Canada and the United States. That’s an issue that’s being partially addressed in the Canada-United […]