6. Closing remarks
It is the hope of the working group that the recommendations in this report are acted upon as soon as feasible, and that resources required to facilitate their implementation are put in place. We believe that these recommendations are a positive step forward for both CIPO and the IP community.
A common theme identified throughout this collaborative work is the importance of educating our clients on a broad range of IP issues. Fundamental IP education is seen as playing the biggest role in closing the knowledge gap that exists between potential users of IP and the IP regime in Canada. By modernizing the IP community and enhancing the tools that we provide to our customers, Canadians will be better positioned to take advantage of the IP system. A particular area that would benefit from an education campaign is providing information that innovators can use to make informed decisions when selecting an IP professional. This would help navigate the complexity of the IP landscape and safeguard innovators from potential pitfalls such as unauthorized practice where an alleged agent or firm is not actually registered with CIPO.
Finally, we endorse the continued collaboration between CIPO and the IP community in order to advance the proposals of this report and to address some of the outstanding issues that have been identified herein.