The Canadian Patent Office has updated its online patent database to include online access to many of the prosecution documents for applications and patents, including office actions, responses, filing certificates and other documents. CIPO has a list of documents included and not included in the new system. Try it out.

The system does not include some of the auto-generated documents, including Notices of Abandonment. This means that it appears one cannot determine if an application is in a state of abandonment.

In other online patent systems news, the USPTO has announced that some transactions can be completed directly through its Private PAIR system, without requiring an electronic filing.