CIPO has issued a reminder that many fees have changed as of January 1st with most fees increasing by about 3%. They have also published a consultation in the Canada Gazette for a 25% fee increase for next January as well as expanding the definition of ‘small entity’.

For January 1st, many fees for patents, trademarks, copyright and industrial designs were increased:

On January 1, 2023 , the fees for the services outlined below will increase by 3.4%, in accordance with the Service Fees Act.

The primary consultation document for the next year’s fees states:

CIPO is proposing to adjust most fees by 25% over the 2024 fees to address its current structural deficit situation and return the organization to a position of financial stability. CIPO is also proposing to expand the definition of small entity while maintaining the current patent fees for small entities.

The definition of small entity would change:

CIPO would maintain the current small entity patent fees for Canadian small enterprises (i.e. no 25% fee increase) and expand the definition of a small business under its patent line by increasing the number of employees an organization is able to have to be eligible to declare itself as a small entity from 50 to less than 100.

The consultations are available for:

• Rules Amending the Patent Rules (primary consultation document)
• Regulations Amending the Trademarks Regulations
• Regulations Amending the Copyright Regulations
• Regulations Amending the Industrial Design Regulations
• Regulations Amending the Integrated Circuit Topography Regulations