On , the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) released the 5th edition of the IP Canada Report which presents the trends in intellectual property (IP) filing activities by Canadians both domestically and abroad.
Key findings in this year's report include:
- The long-term trends for non-resident applications at CIPO have shown consistent growth for all 3 IP categories. Over the past decade, non-resident applications grew at rates of 4% for patents, 60% for trademarks and 33% for industrial designs, respectively.
- Trademark applications abroad by Canadians showed an impressive 21% increase in 2018. International industrial design applications grew 13% from 2017. While growth in patent applications abroad by Canadians has slowed during the last 5 years, the long-term trend has been upwards between 2009 and 2018, during which total international applications have grown by 17%.
- The modernization of Canada's IP regimes facilitates international participation in the Canadian market. During the 6 months after Canada's accession to the Madrid Protocol, almost 1 in every 4 non-resident applications for trademarks was filed using the Madrid System. Alternatively, 17% of all non-resident industrial design filings in 2019 used the Hague System.
- Following amendments to the Canadian Plant Breeders' Rights Act, there was an increase in plant breeders' rights applications for protection of vegetable and fruit varieties, as well as for foreign agriculture varieties.
- A decrease in economic activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to yield a decline in IP activity, and also negatively impact the probability of patent renewals in Canada. On a positive note and based on an analysis of the Canadian patent activity, Canada seems to hold a high relative specialization in pandemic-fighting technologies compared to other leading innovative economies.
Please feel free to share the report with your colleagues. Comments or questions should be directed to CIPO-IPResearch@canada.ca.