Branch and Directorate
Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)
Background
CIPO, a special operating agency of Industry Canada, is responsible for administering Canada's system on intellectual property (IP) rights, namely patents, trade-marks, copyrights, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies.
CIPO receives and examines applications for IP rights; grants and registers IP rights; and administers their renewal, assignment and transfer. Its primary clients are applicants for IP protection, agents representing those applicants, users of the IP system and the Canadian business community.
Rationale
Client satisfaction surveys are a key driver in CIPO's overall priority of becoming client-centred. The results from the 2008 National Client Satisfaction Survey will allow CIPO to report on key client benchmarks and to understand its clients' needs.
Anticipated Outcomes/Benefits
The purpose of this research is to measure the current satisfaction levels of CIPO's existing clients and compare these results against those of previous satisfaction surveys (2001 and 2003). The survey will also assist CIPO in further segmenting its key client groups. The survey results will be used to help evaluate the impact that identified service improvements have had on increasing overall satisfaction and to identify new service improvements to CIPO's products and services. The survey will also gauge current satisfaction levels among US citizens who have filed for patent protection in Canada.
Research Information
EKOS Research conducted 1552 15-minute telephone interviews with CIPO clients from across Canada based on a questionnaire developed in consultation with CIPO. EKOS also conducted 582 surveys with represented patent applicants in the US. US patent applicants were added to this survey to provide CIPO's Patent Branch with direct feedback from foreign applicants, given that the great majority of patent applicants reside outside Canada. The sample was stratified by product line and client type to reflect the client segmentation at CIPO over the past 24 months.
Contracting:
Research firm: EKOS Research
Contract #: DSS U8090-073825-/001/CY
Contract issued by: PWGSC
Contract value: $85 952.69