Earlier today, the government announced details on three aspects of its IP Strategy (see April 2018 post). This included the Patent Collective pilot program (“$30 million to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in the data-driven clean technology sector with their IP needs”), ExploreIP (tool to “help Canadian entrepreneurs and businesses access valuable publicly owned IP”), and IP Legal Clinics grants (UOttawa, the UWindsor, YorkU and the UdeM will “receive grants to develop or expand their IP legal clinic resources”). Continue reading IP Strategy
Tag Archives: IP Strategy
Happy World IP Day
A number of interesting announcements on World IP Day. The focus of the international focus on IP was on Powering change: Women in innovation and creativity. In Canada, the government announced a National IP Strategy having a number of components including $85.3 million over five years to help Canadian businesses, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators understand, protect and access IP. Announced for IP tools, was more efficient dispute resolution and tariff setting at the Federal Court (more judges) and Copyright Board through more funding, formation of a patent collective, improvements to IP used in standards-setting processes, and an IP-specific marketplace. Announced legislative changes include:
- establishing minimum requirements for patent demand letters;
- excluding settlement demands from the copyright Notice and Notice regime;
- Requiring ‘use’ of a trademark to enforce it within the first three years;
- affirming the patent research exemption;
- clarifying the role of standard essential patents;
- allowing continued use of IP by licensees in liquidation proceedings; and
- creating a College of Patent and Trademark Agents to regulate agents.
In Europe, the UK announced today that it had ratified the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement.