Canada’s annual Economic Action Plan for 2014 included a number of proposals to strengthen intellectual property (“IP”) rights in Canada. The government’s proposals were aimed at modernizing Canada’s IP framework, and included changes to both the Patent Act and the Industrial Design Act. These amendments were tabled in parliament on October 23, 2014, as part of Bill C-43, the Federal government’s second budget implementation act, which received royal assent on December 16, 2014.
The amendments will allow Canada to ratify the Patent Law Treaty and to accede to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs. This will enable Canada’s Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) to align its administrative practices with international partners. It will also support the success of Canadian businesses by making it easier for them to obtain and manage patents and industrial design registrations in other jurisdictions. You can find out more information about these changes in our October 29, 2014 blog post, “Industrial Designs”, through the CIPO website, or by contacting a member of our Intellectual Property team.
