have been predicting a recession akin to the Great but this pandemic has also activated successful disrupters like Amazon, Google, Siemens and Microsoft for services like B2B, cloud computing, data analytics, 3D printing and tools for remote office like work from home (WfH) easier. It may be cliché to say��“In every crisis lies the seeds of new opportunities” but it is true and rapidly unfolding now. Companies like��, which analyzes employee behaviour to help to improve human experience digitally, has ��from two financing��cycles. Companies would focus on empowering to build a strong interface for end users to ameliorate remote offices or ��WfH environments. For industries dependent upon human interface, the Internet of Things, the next generation of digital interface, ��will smartphone screens to industry screens, automobile dashboards, and even power generator control room screens.�� provides a steel clad digital ledger to record transactions, documents, signatures and attestations that cannot be with modified in retrospect. It is being increasingly used by governments, health sectors, and the food and agricultural industry, for example, and as a substitute for printed money. Use of this technology enhances ease of doing business by simplifying the vetting of documents and due diligence of parties.

On the flip side, many famous disrupters, like ��,�� are furious at the California Government for not lifting the stay-in home orders resulting in enormous losses to ��Tesla. WeWork, Airlines, Airbnb and Uber’s mobility centric businesses are suffering significantly especillay as they bring unkown persons close physically. People and businesses have to evolve quickly and adapt to co-habit in a post-pandemic world that could have autonomously driven cars, virtual reality tourism, virtual meetings and conferences, and 3D printing, among other technologies. Moreover, these technologies can be provided extensively on a large scale through licensing, commercial agreements, joint ventures, and strategic investments. By investing in right kind of start-up, monetization will help the innovation sector. The future lies in leveraging intelligent technologies by entrepreneurs in their development and business at large in adopting them.

COVID 19 has altered our world permanently. To survive and thrive, suggests, Band Aid solutions to be avoided and overhaul of strategies and expedited digitisation pursued.

Written by Aishwerya Kansal, IPilogue Contributor. Aishwerya is pursuing Masters in Law in International Business Laws at ��Osgoode Hall Law School, and she is also an IP Innovation Clinic Fellow.

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The with smart clothing is that the articles are constantly collecting, transmitting, and storing data, which means that they have information that is often considered personal, private, sensitive, or confidential. This makes smart clothing’s data mining abilities extremely strong. This is compounded by the fact that this information can easily be posted on social media networks, making it available to not only “friends” of the user, but possibly also to unknown or untrusted parties. Furthermore, wearables are able to collect information discreetly, otherwise known as data mining, which results in the users not actually knowing what data is being collected. ��This often means that users underestimate their privacy risks. In fact, a recent study showed that there is “a significant gap between reported concerns and actual users’ behaviors, reinforcing that users often sacrifice their privacy in exchange of benefits.” Put simply, the non-invasive biomedical, biochemical, and physical measurements of wearables have invasive implications for a user’s privacy. However, given the novelty of smart clothing, the extent of the impacts of these privacy concerns has not yet been fully understood. It is for this reason that empirical studies are necessary.

The same study collected a variety of online comments from users of wearables. Based on the consumer feedback, the study concluded that the primary privacy concerns are linked to the type of personal data that a given wearable device collects, stores, processes and shares. For example, there is a lower level of concern regarding smart accessories that are seen as a gadget (e.g. Fitbits), versus smart clothing that covers a large part of the body. Furthermore, embedded sensors, such as cameras and microphones, pick up data about the user and even people nearby, often without their awareness or consent. The nature of this data is frequently personal and confidential, which implicates privacy issues, especially with respect to surveillance. Other functions of wearables, such as heart rate monitors, glucometers, and activity trackers, can also be intrusive.

Interestingly, even though users perceived wrist-mounted devices as a non-invasive accessory from a privacy perspective, the study found a high associated risk. Indeed, there have been findings of an increased feeling of safety and confidence due to the user’s dependence on this type of wearable to track both biomedical data as well as daily movements that assist the user, such as the user’s location when in an unknown area. The ability to track location seems appropriate because of the convenience of having GSP at the ready. However, the communication of a user’s location information, without the control of the user, poses a substantial threat because once location is sensed and stored, it can then be shared online, in real time, through live social media feeds. Yet, given an appearance that is akin to a watch or a bracelet, wearables’ presence is often unnoticed, which means that the underlying privacy risk is not seen as a concern on a daily basis. Rather, a user more acutely senses its convenience benefits. This is in stark contrast with the more common smartphone, with which the user has a more conscious interaction.

In fact, integration is of smart clothing, which allows users to synchronize their clothing with their phones for the sake of convenience. From a privacy perspective, however, this means that all of the implications associated with smartphones are then added to the list of concerns regarding smart clothing. For example, more technologically-advanced smart clothing inventions could have access to a user’s photos, contacts, bank information, and applications, making all of the data, in addition to the collected biometrics, vulnerable to being shared publicly. Another notable example is that embedded speech recognition applications in both smartphones and smart clothing allow the convenience of hands-free interaction. However, the heightened sensitivity that is needed to be able to pick up on such demands means that even when a user is not alone, a potentially confidential conversation between the user and another party can be captured and stored, once again without knowledge or consent.

The above suggests two concerning points about the privacy risk associated with smart clothing. First, users are already anxious about a host of privacy issues, but the (perhaps more noticeable) benefits offered by these devices causes them to become more willing to sacrifice their privacy. Second, even though users have articulated some concerns, these are often misdirected or underestimated. This means that users do not know precisely what to worry about, and are therefore ill-equipped to protect themselves. Indeed, new applications, such as facial recognition software embedded in smart technologies offer such a profound sense of convenience and marketable novelty that consumers willingly allow a device to repeatedly capture and store every inch of their face. This misplaced sense of trust in smart technologies, and particularly smart clothing, presents a significant barrier to technological advancement, as users’ engagement is difficult to predict.

This is the second post in the Toronto Wearables Series by Saba Samanian regarding wearable technology and its IP and privacy law implications.�� Saba was recently appointed the Toronto Ambassador for and seeks to do her part in fostering the wearables community in Toronto.

Written by Saba Samanian, IPilogue Editor and JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.

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The 5G network

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) describes 5G as “an end-to-end ecosystem” that is expected to “enable a fully mobile and connected society”. The most prominent include fixed-wireless access, ultra-reliable low-latency (high volume of data messages with minimal delay) communications, enhanced mobile broadband and massive . The effective implementation of the 5G vision could translate into driverless cars, virtual or augmented reality experiences, , robotics and . However, the proposed 5G use cases rely on , pertaining notably to latency, throughput, reliability and transmission character.

To address all of these use cases, networks need to become more flexible. This is achieved through , a form of virtual network architecture built on common shared physical infrastructure. Each network slice consists of an independent set of logical (software-based) network functions that support the requirements of the specific use case. For instance, the driverless car will rely on vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication, which requires low latency but not necessarily a high throughput, while a streaming service being watched while the car is in motion will require a high throughput and is susceptible to latency. are thus employed to optimise the use of the physical network. This can also enhance , by isolating attacks on the network slice, given that security poses the biggest challenge as these networks evolve, according to Ray Lahoud, Chief Operating Officer at Allstream.

Network slicing relies on and . SDN the data and control planes, which, along with the management plane, constitute the three basic components of a telecommunications . By removing the control plane from network hardware and implementing it in software, SDN enables programmatic access, making network administration much more flexible.��While SDN enables network slicing, the NFV architecture is employed to and its constituent resources, and orchestrating their allocation to realize the virtual network functions (VNFs) and network service.�� In a nutshell, NFV provides the ‘what’ (virtualization architecture) and SDN provides the ‘how’ (Application Programming Interfaces and control protocols) to .

SDNs can be deployed today leveraging existing Application Programming Interfaces ().�� APIs constitute a point of interaction between a number of systems. From the users’ point of view, APIs allow them to complete the action . APIs speed up the communication between apps and platforms, allowing service providers to deploy innovative high-quality services by bypassing one-on-one, costly and time-consuming proprietary integration. As Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer at Telus, described it, before embarking on any technological transformation journey we need to “speak the same language to talk about innovation”, which in turn translates to the need for a .

Network softwarization is paving the way towards X-as-a-Service (XaaS). XaaS refers to the concept that , including the functions that control a telecom network, notably Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). With these resources made available by , telecom service providers maintain a major influence over the services they buy, while offloading the costs of Research and Development (R&D), security and optimization. XaaS extends , with Transportation-as-a-Service offered by Uber and Lyft, Grocery-as-a-Service by Safeway and Whole Foods, and Accommodation-as-a-Service by Airbnb.

New Business Models

According to the NGMN , 5G is expected to “empower value creation towards customers and partners, through existing and emerging use cases, delivered with consistent experience, and enabled by sustainable business models.” Essentially, this means that telcos will start shifting from their traditional Business-to-Customer (B2C) to a Business-to-Business (B2B) business model, by opening their networks to other stakeholders and allowing the latter to reuse their capabilities in order to deliver new services to customers.

Communication Service Providers (CSPs) can monetize new data-intensive Over-the-Top (OTT) services through partnerships with OTT providers or by charging them for access to their networks. In fact, operators have already started to leverage to deliver packaged services to end users. OTT players are expected to deliver more applications that require higher quality, lower latency, and other service enhancing capabilities, namely proximity, location, quality of service (QoS), authentication, on demand and in a highly flexible and programmable way.

In addition, as James Buchanan, Senior VP & General Manager of Ensemble ADVA Optical Networking, framed it, monetization of data is key to proving that it is worth investing in 5G. While telcos are now relying only on data to improve customer experience and QoS, with 5G network services combined with IoT and AI, new business models of monetization will arise, namely . New business opportunities will thus emerge for telcos not only through data monetization but also from the value delivered to enterprises via application and network intelligence layers.

IPR, RnD and Investment in 5G

The realization of the 5G vision, especially in terms of IoT-related applications, will require extensive R&D and investment. Robust intellectual property protection is an to this end. ��Based on the NGMN , the IP based business objective is to make 5G access affordable for all types of devices. The proposed NGMN recommendations include improving 5G Standard Essential Patent (SEP) Declarations, establishing Independent 5G SEPAssessments, and exploring and establishing Patent Pool licensing for 5G. All industry partners are expected to develop implementation plans for each of these recommendations.

Overall, this panel’s speakers strongly agreed on the fact that the 5G endeavor cannot be taken exclusively on by the private sector. This was consequently addressed by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, PC, MP, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development in his , during which he announced the launch of ,��, the Evolution of Networked Services through a Corridor in Québec and Ontario for Research and Innovation, which is a 3P between the governments of Ontario and Quebec and private sector partners. Minster Bains described ENCQOR as “a 5G test bed that will advance the development of 5G networking solutions and next-generation technologies and applications”. In addition, he proclaimed the launch of two consultations regarding 5G deployment, one of which pertains to the . Based on the aforementioned, the plan toward the 5G seems clearly drafted and in line with the telecom industry’s mantra of “flexibility, scalability and cost”, as epitomized by Mr. Lahoud.

Yonida Koukio is an IPilogue Editor and an LL.M. Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.��

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All things smartened up

��5G is the next generation of wireless mobile networks. The speakers highlighted that 5G networks are primarily designed for increasing capacity and enhancing connectivity while operating at much lower latency values. These ultrafast 5G airwaves promise to through the sharing of information—as buildings, cars, people, and a myriad of devices will be able to communicate with each other. The new technology promises to further enhance the users’ experience with smart devices, smart cars, and smart homes. In addition, 5G networks will allow emerging technologies to operate at a much larger scale.

From connecting people to connecting things in real time

��For example, the panel on 5G networks remarked that, due to the myriad of new capabilities and disruptive applications made available using 5G wireless networks, virtually all industries will experience important changes in how they work and cooperate with one another. Industries will leverage real-time connectivity to the benefit of both consumers and businesses. New capabilities will allow segments of industries to experience real-time economic data, offering the potential to prompt the . To enable all of these features, 5G network communications will increasingly rely on artificial intelligence (“AI”) and big data to build new applications and create more services. As a result, interested parties will have to be attentive as a new regulatory landscape may develop to accommodate the demands of this increased data sharing reality.

How does society become 5G ready?

��In addressing this question, speakers at CTS 2018 remarked that putting the new technology to use will require several regulatory and policy discussions. Among other challenges, there will be massive amounts of data that can be quickly collected, mobilized, and exchanged across 5G networks. In the commercial and government space, several jurisdictions have engaged in devising regulatory frameworks for the deployment of the new technology (see examples and ).

Canadian policy makers know that this is an industry that needs investment as well as a modern regulatory landscape across municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government. For example, in his , the Honourable , the federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced that the Government of Canada will be launching two consultations�� to support 5G deployment:��the government is to add an additional 1GHz of millimetre spectrum to support 5G and is beginning a in advance of the 3500 MHz auction.�� Minister Bains also discussed an initiative through a Canada-Québec-Ontario partnership, (“ENCQOR”),��which he described as “a 5G test bed that will advance the development of 5G networking solutions and next-generation technologies and applications”.

Other countries, such as the are taking a great leap towards leadership in the manufacture and operation of network infrastructure. In Canada, industry operators and other stakeholders are well positioned to develop relationships with different levels of the government with a view to speeding up the process of creating standards and laying out best practices for the operation of 5G networks.

Bottom line

5G networks promises innovation, disruption, as well as policy and regulatory discussions. Industry operators and other stakeholders should be attentive to the new opportunities arising from 5G networks, but they should also stay abreast of the impact the Canadian regulatory landscape may have in the industry — particularly by virtue of the challenges that may arise from the vastness amount of data that will be quickly collected, mobilized, and exchanged across 5G networks.

Bruna D. Kalinoski is a contributing editor for the IPilogue and holds an LLM from the Osgoode Professional Development Program at �첥��Ƶ.

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