Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Article | January 07, 2026
"To Serve Man": Governing AI and the Era of Digital Soma
When lawyers reference Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, they often treat "soma" as a literary symbol: a metaphor for the numbing effect of mindless entertainment. But soma is not just a metaphor; it is a product specification. It is a set of functional requirements: rapid, predictable relief from distress; minimal downside; and a secondary effect that is central, not incidental, which is social pacification. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes capable of optimizing human experience with greater precision, soma stops being a philosophy seminar and becomes a governance problem. Crucially, that governance problem is not limited to the digital. A superhuman scientific capability could plausibly contribute to a literal, pharmacological soma through generative chemistry and inverse molecular design (a subject that raises its own governance challenges at the intersection of IP, bioethics, and regulatory law). But the first widely deployed soma analogues will almost certainly arrive through recommendation systems, immersive media, and bewitching AI companions. That is where entertainment lawyers need to focus.
Legislative Update | December 19, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of December 15
CRR Final Report Released: The Civil Rule Review (CRR) Working Group's Final Policy Report, is now available online. The 200+ page document proposes a broad range of reforms across core areas of the civil litigation process to help reduce delays and costs and increase access to the civil justice system for Ontario litigants.
Article | December 15, 2025
Xania Monet Monet Monet: The Economic Rights of AI Creators
In September 2025, the music industry headlines were dominated not by a pop star or a rock band, but by Xania Monet, a virtual R&B artist created using the AI platform Suno. Reports from Billboard and Forbes confirmed that the human creator behind the project, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, signed a record deal with Hallwood Media worth up to $3 million. For entertainment lawyers, the headline is flashy, but the legal reality is a headache. If a human creator contributes lyrics and prompts, but an AI generates the melody, harmony, and vocal performance, what “economic rights” actually exist to support a multi-million dollar transaction?
Advocacy | December 12, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of December 8
Central East Civil Trial List: The January 2026 Central East Civil Blitz Trial List has been released. This list details the matters that may be called during the upcoming civil trial sittings, scheduled to commence on January 5, 2026, and continue for three weeks.
Advocacy | December 08, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of December 1
EQAO Review: The Ontario government is appointing advisors to review the province’s approach to standardized testing, following the release of data that showed only 51% of Grade 6 students and 59% of Grade 9 students met the provincial standard in math.
