In a recent judgment of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Justice L.R.A. Ackerl held that although copyright subsisted in design drawings for a pipe bending machine, copyright did not extend to the machine itself. This decision draws important boundaries on what subject matter may be protected by copyright and emphasizes the need for multiple layers of IP protection to provide effective coverage. Background Proline Pipe Equipment Inc. (“Proline”) alleged, amongst other causes of action, that Provincial Rentals Ltd. (“Provincial”) infringed copyright related to its pipe bending machine. Specifically, Proline adduced evidence that: a former employee of Proline took Proline’s drawings for a pipe bendingRead More →