Canadian Trademarks Update

The Canadian Government has recently released the date that the changes to the Trade-Mark Act will be implemented. These changes are expected to come into force on June 17th, 2019. A few of the many changes include: Simplified trademark applications New and pending applications will no longer require a declaration of use There will be a broader definition of a mark to include colour, textures, etc.. The implementation of the classification of goods and services in accordance with the Nice Agreement For...

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...

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...