Trademark 101 – How do I make sure my preferred business name is not taken?
While it is stressful for many people going through this COVID-19 pandemic, and lockdown forcing many of us to work from home, this pandemic allows us to have more spare time at home. If you are like me, you may be thinking of many different ideas, including ideas for starting up a new business. Now, after coming up with a new business idea and a new business name,… Read more »
Patent 101 – I want to protect my invention. Where or how do I start?
You come up with an invention, and you want to protect your invention. So, where do you start? There are at least four criteria that a patent office will examine in order to grant or allow a patent. For obtaining a patent, it must be new (so no one disclosed / used before), inventive, useful (or has a… Read more »
Trademark 101 – How do pick a good name for my business?
It is often very difficult, and it takes enormous effort to come up with a good business name, and when you come up with one, you want to make sure that you have an exclusive right to use it. One of the best ways to protect your business name is to register it as a registered trademark. … Read more »
Industrial Designs: What’s New?
What changes were recently made to industrial designs practice in Canada? Read about amendments to the Industrial Design Act and new regulations, and what these mean for rights holders.
Poppies, Possums and Protecting your Currency
Readers may not have considered the importance of protecting the IP properties of currency. However, mints like the Royal Canadian Mint are commercial enterprises, and contracts for foreign circulation can be very lucrative. A recent dispute between the Royal Canadian Mint and the Royal Australian Mint illustrates the lengths at which currency manufacturers are willing to go to protect their brand.
Tough break? KitKat and the fight over those four fingers
How distinctive is the four-fingered KitKat? Our latest IP blog post looks at the trademark battle between Nestlé and Cadbury over KitKat’s four fingers.