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Defamation and Media - On the Docket
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Did Drake respond to an alleged feud with fellow artists, including Kendrick Lamar and Rick Ross? As reported by the LA Times, a track titled ‘Push Ups (Drop and Give Me 50)’ appeared online recently, taking aim at Lamar and several of his recent musical collaborators. However, this track remained unclaimed on any of Drake’s official platforms, causing some to question whether this track was fan-generated using artificial intelligence. This cynicism may be justified: Drake is reportedly no stranger to having to denounce fan-generated songs, and Lamar’s rumoured response was actually the work of artificial intelligence and another rapper.
Ontario’s Anti-SLAPP legislation (ss 137.1 to 137.5 of the Courts of Justice Act) provides a judicial screening device. It is designed to swiftly eliminate claims that unduly limit freedom of expression on matters of public interest. Since coming into force, courts have considered, at length, the substantive issues. To date, little guidance has been provided on the procedural issues.
In the late 2019 decision in V.M.Y. v S.H.G., Justice Kristjanson of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for the first time recognized the tort of “publicity placing a person in a false light” in Canadian law. But do we need yet another invasion of privacy tort?
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently heard and resolved a conflict between two competing components of a free and democratic society. As the Court put it, the dispute involved a conflict between a free and vigorous press, on the one hand, and the protection of society from serious criminal activity on the other.
Pierre Lebel didn’t like that Miranda Dyck was following his daughter on Twitter. Mr. Lebel sent an email to Andre Picotte (and several others). Mr. Lebel asked Mr. Picotte to email Ms. Dyck asking that she un-follow Mr. Lebel’s daughter.
In PDM Entertainment Inc. v. Three Pines Creations Inc and Louise Penny, the Ontario Court of Appeal had to decide who was entitled to produce the next television adaptation of the fictional Chief Inspector Gramache.
In Chandra v. CBC, 2015 ONSC 2980, Justice Graeme Mew rejected the CBC's argument that the jury notice should be struck because the issues and the expert...
The political blogosphere is rude, aggressive and insulting, but the ruling in Baglow v. Smith (2015 ONSC 1175) suggests that it is nonetheless a tough forum in which to make out a case of defamation.
As the internet continues to develop into the primary forum for expression in our society, defamation actions increasingly involve comments made online.
Score one for science, zero for journalistic integrity and a point for an interesting advance in the law of defamation.
