News

Canadian Patent and Trademarks Update: Bill C-85

On October 29th Bill C-86, purposing changes to the Patents Act and Trade-marks Act, was tabled in the House of Commons. Some of the purposed changes to the Patent Act include: Providing rights to the Governor in Council to regulate standard essential patents (patents related to technology that needs to comply with technical/industry standards) Changes to the definition of Prior Use Adding provisions for protection from infringement for experimentation, granting it is not for commercial use Some of the purposed changes to...

November 6, 2018
By News, Patents, Trademarks
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Canadian Industrial Designs Update

As of today, November 5, 2018, the changes the Industrial Design Act and Rules have come into force bringing the Industrial Design Act and Rules into alignment with the Hague System.  The Hague System enables design patents to be filed and managed in multiple countries via one application. Some key changes to note are the following: Greater flexibility when filing divisional applications Increased terms of protection (a minimum of 10 years protection up to 15 years of protection) A wider...

November 6, 2018
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Canadian Patent Updates

On September 30th, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement in regards to the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will have the following influence on Intellectual Property: The term of protection for new innovative drug products containing a medicinal ingredient not yet approved in Canada will increase to 10 years (from 8 years). The USMCA will allow for the term of a patent to be adjusted based on...

October 2, 2018
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Canadian Industrial Design Updates

On June 28th the Canadian government published the new Industrial Design Regulations which are expected to come into force on November 5, 2018. These new regulations are to help modernize the industrial design process and bring it into agreement with the Hague Agreement. ~Friday, June 29, 2018~ • • • • • • • • • • The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has recently announced changes to its Industrial Design practices to modernize and improve client services and administration. The six changes include the following: - Computer-generated animated designs will be considered as...

June 29, 2018
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Startups and Corporations Don’t Fail To Plan; Plan To Use Craig Wilson and Company

Businesses invest substantial resources in planning. Whether such planning is the development of an initial business plan for a startup organization or a scope of work for the next big project in a mature business, planning is key to success. However, when it comes to intellectual property (IP) and its protection within an organization, there may not be a developed plan or perhaps there is no plan at all. Often, businesses will seek an IP advisor only once when an...

March 8, 2018
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What is a Virtual In-House Corporate Patent or Trademark Agent?

A business corporation may not have the resources to hire in-house one or more corporate patent or trademark agents to meet their patent needs, but may still require the cost effective value that an in-house patent/trademark agent brings to a business' strategic plan.  In such instances a virtual in-house corporate agent can be contracted to perform this role, or to support one or more existing in-house patent and/or trademark agents as a member of the in-house team.  This is a...

February 9, 2018
By Corporations, News, Patents
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Canadian Patent Updates

Canadian Patent Updates Monday, April 30, 2018 On April 26th, the Government of Canada released their Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy which aims to: increase IP awareness, namely among Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators and also amongst the indigenous community; provide tools to support Canadian businesses in learning about and acquiring IP; and, amend IP legislation to clarify acceptable practices and prevent misuses of IP rights. Some of these changes to legislation include: Requiring that a trademark be used within the first three...

September 25, 2017
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Canadian Trademark Updates

On April 26th, the Government of Canada released their Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy which aims to: increase IP awareness, namely among Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators and also amongst the indigenous community; provide tools to support Canadian businesses in learning about and acquiring IP; and, amend IP legislation to clarify acceptable practices and prevent misuses of IP rights. Some of these changes to legislation include: Requiring that a trademark be used within the first three years after registration in order...

February 14, 2017
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Patents & Trademarks