In a recent decision, a five judge panel of the Court of Appeal for Ontario revised the legal test to be applied when the Ontario courts are asked to assume jurisdiction over a foreign defendant. The Court’s decision in Van Breda v. Village Resorts Ltd. clarifies the applicable legal principles and should provide greater guidance to Ontario courts on whether and when they can properly take jurisdiction over foreign defendants.

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This past summer, Ontario’s highest court made it clear that contracting parties who choose a particular nation’s courts for the litigation of their disputes will almost always be held to their choice – even where that forum may not conform to the traditional Canadian concepts of democracy and fairness.

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Class action legislation does not give courts jurisdiction over cases that would otherwise be dealt with by tribunals or arbitrators, the Supreme Court held in Concordia v. Bisaillon.

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Citing the Internet’s unique potential to cause harm anywhere and everywhere, Madam Justice Lax of Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice enforced a New York District Court judgment earlier this month against the operators of Ontario-based websites that facilitated the illegal copying and downloading of movies.

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