“When you create something like this, you’re never quite sure whether it will have legs,” says Geist, who joined the Faculty of Law in 1998 and is Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. “If anything, CIPPIC has become more important and relevant than I would have ever imagined.”
As Canada’s first and only public interest technology law clinic, CIPPIC educates Canadians on a range of issues, such as internet law, privacy, intellectual property, open government and telecommunications. The clinic also intervenes on the public’s behalf when law and technology issues are before the courts or legislatures.
Matt Malone, CIPPIC director, says the clinic provides a voice for society’s most vulnerable—which is increasingly important in today’s digital economy.
“Many of the largest companies in the world are technology companies whose market valuation surpasses the GDP of countries like Canada. These companies possess tremendous power over us,” Malone says. “I think it’s absolutely vital that you have civil society actors, like CIPPIC, who will push for laws and policies that serve the public interest.”
CIPPIC was established in 2003 with settlement funds distributed from a class action lawsuit involving Amazon.com. The court-ordered funds—along with a matching grant from the Ontario government—allowed uOttawa to start a clinic to advance the public interest on key technology law issues.
But it wasn’t until 15 years later that CIPPIC got the financial boost that has enabled it to cement its role as a leading voice in Canadian and international technology law and policy discussions.
In 2018, the law clinic received a $1 million donation from Pam Samuelson and Robert Glushko, a husband and wife team of University of California, Berkeley, professors. The technology law clinic at the University of Ottawa was one of five across North America that benefited from the couple’s financial support.
“It has supported our work over the long term and had an incredible impact in terms of our ability to fight for and defend the public interest,” says Malone. “Donations like this really open up avenues for us to do work that we couldn’t do otherwise.”
For example, CIPPIC currently has a case before the Federal Court to prevent an artificial intelligence program from registering as an “author” under Canadian copyright law.
“It is an extremely important case in Canada that wouldn’t have been brought forward if it wasn’t for our work and these resources,” says Malone.
Samuelson and Glushko’s donation has also enabled CIPPIC to continue to mould the next generation of technology lawyers—including Geist’s own daughter, who graduated in 2024. She was one of 20 to 30 law students who worked with the clinic each year as volunteers, research assistants and summer students.
Kaitlyn Margison is another of the hundreds of uOttawa law students who have benefited from the clinic over the years. She completed two internships in 2022–23 and worked as a research associate. With that experience under her belt, Margison has gone on to article at Osler, one of Canada’s leading business law firms, and is currently clerking at the Federal Court.
Margison says her experience at CIPPIC prepared her in a way that coursework alone never could have.
“We learn a lot in law school, but you don’t really know what that will look like in practice,” says Margison. “At CIPPIC, it’s not just writing a paper about the law. You’re contributing to things that will be before the court, where people are going to make decisions about important issues.”
Although the generous donation from Samuelson and Glushko will run out this year, Margison hopes CIPPIC will continue to be a place where uOttawa law students can get firsthand experience with the technology issues that matter to Canadians.
It’s a hope that Geist shares.
“I remain a sort of ‘a field of dreams’ believer with this. If you build it, they will come—and that is true as well for the kind of support that might be necessary in the future,” says Geist. “My hope is that the clinic will be a permanent part of the digital policy landscape in Canada.”
Part of a continuing series highlighting impacts from the University of Ottawa's landmark $541M reIMAGINE Campaign. Each story represents our community's commitment to innovation and excellence.
