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
All posts by Alan Macek
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.
Budget
The government released its Budget 2022 that includes some IP related provisions:
- “amendments to the Copyright Act to extend the general term of copyright protection from 50 to 70 years after the life of the author”;
- “legislative amendments to the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents Act to better enable directors of the College to prioritize the public interest”;
- “Review of Tax Support to R&D and Intellectual Property” including SR&ED and a patent box regime;
- “$750 million over six years, starting in 2022-23, to support the further growth and development of Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters”; and
- funding for “CanExport program to help Canadian businesses secure their intellectual property in foreign markets”, expand use of ExploreIP, Canada’s intellectual property marketplace” and “expand the Intellectual Property Legal Clinics Program”.
Online News
Earlier today, the government introduced Bill C-18 “An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada” with the stated purpose “to regulate digital news intermediaries with a view to enhancing fairness in the Canadian digital news marketplace and contributing to its sustainability, including the sustainability of independent local news businesses.” and includes a section on implications of copyright.
CIPO
CIPO has opened a consultation on proposed fee increases until April 29th. “Based on current projections, CIPO is expected to run out of authority to spend by September 2024. … To address this structural deficit, CIPO is proposing to adjust most of its fees by 25%…”
Agents
Appointment
Benoit Duchesne of Gowling WLG was appointed as a Prothonotary of the Federal Court today, bringing the number of Prothonotaries to nine.
September 30
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th has been incorporated into the definitions of prescribed holidays for which deadlines are deferred in the Trademarks Regulations, Patent Rules and Industrial Design Regulations. Continue reading September 30
Intellectual Property Ontario
The province has launched “Intellectual Property Ontario” (see earlier post). From the press release, “Intellectual Property Ontario is a new board-governed agency, which will be a go-to resource for IP expertise to help Ontario-based researchers and companies maximize the value of their IP, strengthen their capacity to grow, compete in the global market and enhance their research and commercialization outcomes.”
AI
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has registered a copyrighted work listing AI software as a co-author. The work, entitled “SURYAST” lists, “RAGHAV Artificial Intelligence Painting App” as a co-author.