Maya Medeiros

A legal framework for artificial intelligence

By Maya Medeiros on November 20, 2019 Posted in General

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science referring to intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans. Social media platforms use artificial intelligence technologies such as natural language processing to understand text data, and image processing for facial recognition. In some instances, regulation tries to create a “legal” … Continue reading

Submissions Now Open For Artificial Intelligence Stakeholders: Canada’s Copyright Act Review

By Maya Medeiros on April 24, 2018 Posted in Copyright

Social media depends on digital technology, and the Canadian government has begun a review of Canada’s Copyright Act with a view to keep the copyright framework current in light of digital technology. Written submissions are now being solicited from all Canadians on Canada’s Copyright Act, as the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (“Committee”) … Continue reading

Opportunity for artificial intelligence stakeholders to shape the Canada Copyright Act

By Maya Medeiros on February 6, 2018 Posted in Copyright

Social media depends on digital technology, and the Canadian government has begun a review of the Canada Copyright Act and provided an opportunity for public comment.… Continue reading

Chatbots gone wild? Some ethical considerations

By Maya Medeiros on October 3, 2017 Posted in General

Chatbots are computer applications programmed to mimic human behaviour using machine learning and natural language processing. Chatbots can act autonomously and do not require a human operator. Given this freedom, chatbots do not always act in a manner that is fair and neutral – they can go wild with unintended consequences. For example, a chatbot … Continue reading

Growth of Digital Payments on Social Networks

By Maya Medeiros on April 27, 2017 Posted in Privacy

A recent UN study reveals that rapid growth of social networks and e-commerce platforms has driven financial inclusion, economic activity and security in practically all countries and in particular China. The report highlights that popular applications WeChat and AliPay have developed into some of the largest and most sophisticated financial ecosystems in the world. For … Continue reading

Artificial Intelligence and Social Networks

By Maya Medeiros on November 3, 2016 Posted in General

What is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence (“AI”) or cognitive computing involves the use of computer program code to control machines to mimic cognitive functions, such as learning, classification, and problem solving. AI is a technical field of computer science and includes machine learning and natural language processing.… Continue reading

Social media stars and IP empires

By Maya Medeiros on March 14, 2016 Posted in Copyright, General, Social media policies

Social media platforms enable users to profit from their brand and original works such as photos, videos, articles and various “mash ups”. Their brand and content may be protected by trademarks and copyrights and users may generate thousands of postings to build an extensive intellectual property portfolio. A user may develop a popular brand for … Continue reading

Legal considerations for social network APIs

By Maya Medeiros on December 19, 2014 Posted in Copyright, Patent, Trademark

An application programming interface (API) is a library or structured set of software tools that provides an interface to a backend software platform, such as a social networking platform, without providing direct access to the underlying source code of the platform. For example, Facebook™, Twitter™, Instagram™, LinkedIn™, Google Plus™, and Tumblr™ offer APIs so that … Continue reading

Wearable devices merge reality and social media

By Maya Medeiros on October 25, 2013 Posted in Patent

Wearable computing devices, such as Google Glass (i.e., glasses integrated with a computing device), are expected to explode in popularity. Currently, wearable computing devices have generally limited social media application, but that may soon change. In October 2013, Google was granted a US patent that highlights several possible social media applications for wearable devices, such … Continue reading

Social media companies adopt alternative patent models

By Maya Medeiros on August 16, 2013 Posted in Patent, Social media policies

Social media companies are increasingly involved in patent lawsuits and frustration is setting in. Hoping to inspire change within the industry, a number of companies have adopted alternative patent policies. While these alternative models are based on the social good of sharing innovation with a promise to use patents only as a defensive shield and … Continue reading