All posts by Alan Macek

Privacy and AI

Bill C-27, “Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022”, was introduced yesterday that would

  • enact the “Consumer Privacy Protection Act” directed to the use of personal information, replacing portions of PIPEDA.
  • establish a tribunal for hearing appeals of decision made by the Privacy Commissioner and impose penalties.
  • enact the “Artificial Intelligence and Data Act” regulating the use of artificial intelligent systems, particularly those with a ‘high-impact’.

Continue reading Privacy and AI

Patent Rules

Amendments to the Patent Rules have been registered and will come into force on July 1st for amendments related to sequence listings, and October 3, 2022 for other amendments to “streamline examination’, including excess claim fees and requests for continued examination. The changes will include a $100 per claim fee for applications with more than 20 claims (see new section 80), and a fee for continued examination after three office actions equal to the original examination fee (see section 85.1). The amendments also add steps such as ‘notices of conditional allowance’. Continue reading Patent Rules

Budget Implementation Act

Bill C-19, “An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures” includes

  • measures directed to the term of copyright in Division 16 including “6. Except as otherwise expressly provided by this Act, the term for which copyright subsists is the life of the author, the remainder of the calendar year in which the author dies, and a period of 70 years following the end of that calendar year”;
  • changes to the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents Act in Division 17; and
  • replaces the term “prothonotary” with “associate judge” in Division 22.

PMPRB

Health Canada announced this afternoon, “…Health Canada will be moving forward with the implementation of the new basket of comparator countries and reduced reporting requirements for those medicines at lowest risk of excessive pricing. These [Amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations] will come-into-force on July 1, 2022. The Government will not proceed with the Amendments related to the new price regulatory factors, nor with the requirements to file information net of all price adjustments.” Continue reading PMPRB

CPATA

The election for the patent and trademark agent representatives on the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents’ Board of Directors closes at 5pm ET on April 14. Patent and trademarks agents received voting details by email earlier this week. Once fully operational the Board will consist of five appointed and four elected directors.