Smart Cities: Who Owns the Data?

The city of Toronto is currently working with a private company to develop a “smart city”—a neighbourhood that incorporates the collection of big data into its urban design. Since its inception, the project has inspired debate about how data generated by the public/private partnerships ought to be used. In this podcast, we consider the implications of some of these questions, and ask who should own the data and intellectual property generated from projects that rely on both public and private investment. We will hear from Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in information, law and policy at the University of Ottawa, and Natalie Raffoul, an IP lawyer called to the bar in Ontario with a practice that focuses on procurement, licensing, and other IP issues. This podcast is produced by Andrea Salguero and Adam Casey, editors for volume 64 of the McGill Law Journal.