CIPO has announced it is continuing and expanding its procedure to refer final rejections of patent applications to a single member of the PAB in certain circumstances if the rejection only relates to patentable subject matter (with some exceptions), s27(4) and the Patent Rules. CIPO is working to “increase efficiencies and reduce turnaround times” at the PAB. The 2019-2020 Annual Report identified 71 appeals to the PAB and 41 decisions issued.
Tag Archives: Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Fee Decrease
CIPO has reminded applicants that as of January 1st, many service fees have decreased by 0.2% due to fee adjustments under the Service Fees Act. As a result, the fees listed in Schedules to the Regulations may no longer be current so online resources should be consulted for the current fees. Continue reading Fee Decrease
CIPO
CIPO has announced a new patent national entry request online tool. According to the announcement, one the application is submitted and the fees paid, you will instantly receive a national entry date and Canadian patent application number. Continue reading CIPO
Designated Establishments
CIPO has announced that it is discontinuing the acceptance of correspondence at designated establishments at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) regional mailrooms as of August 16th. These are currently available in Ottawa, Montréal, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. CIPO recommends electronic, in person or Canada Post as alternatives.
11 Million
Earlier today, the USPTO issued patent 11,000,000. Since the USPTO granted US10,000,000 about three years ago, the Canadian Patent Office issued about 64,000 patents.
Trademark Backlog
CIPO has published two practice notices directed to the backlog of trademarks awaiting examination:
- Requests for expedited examination – “effective immediately the Office will begin accepting requests for expedited examination of trademark applications” on the basis of court proceedings, combating counterfeit products, protect marks on online marketplaces, or to preserve claims of priority.
- Measures to improve timeliness in examination – the Office will prioritize applications with statements of goods or services selected from the pre-approved list, issue fewer examination reports prior to refusal, and will provide fewer examples of goods or services that would be acceptable in reports.
Industrial Designs
CIPO has published proposed changes to the examination procedure for industrial designs which would send final rejections to “a subject matter expert from the policy and legislation group of the Trademarks and Industrial Designs Branch (TIDB) rather than to the Patent Appeal Board.” Continue reading Industrial Designs
COVID
CIPO has published a Practice Notice regarding the handling of designated days between March and August for patents and patent applications, particularly maintenance fees and deemed abandonments.
Fees
A number of fees at CIPO are increasing by 2% as of January 1, 2021 due to application of the Service Fees Act. As a result, the fees listed in schedules in the various regulations, such as Schedule 2 to the Patent Rules, may no longer be accurate. For example, the regular patent filing fee will increase to $408 as of January 1st. CIPO has an updated fee schedule. Application fees for a Certificate of Supplementary Protection also increase by 2% but not until April 2021.
Patentable Subject Matter
CIPO has published practice guidance on patentable subject matter following the recent decision in Choueifaty as well as some examples for computer-implemented, medical diagnostic and medical use inventions. CIPO indicated that updates to MOPOP are coming later and will be subject to consultation.