The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has released its 2017 IP Canada Report (the Report), detailing various trends in IP filing activities in Canada and abroad.
The Report considers three types of IP rights administered by CIPO: patents, trademarks and industrial designs.
IP Filings in Canada. Total patent applications filed at CIPO fell by 6% in 2016 as compared to 2015, which contributes to a 17% decline in filings since 2006. Trademark applications saw an approximate 4% growth in filings in 2016 as compared to 2015, which contributes to about 15% growth since 2007. The number of industrial design applications filings grew by 6% in 2016 as compared to 2015, which represents 22% growth since 2007.
The top seven countries of origin of applicants for applications received by CIPO for all categories (patents, trademarks and industrial designs) between 2015 and 2016 were: the United States; Canada; Germany; Japan; China; France; Switzerland; and the United Kingdom.
IP Filings by Canadians Abroad. Overall, IP filings abroad by Canadians have increased as compared to domestic applications. The proportion of applications for IP rights filed abroad versus domestically by Canadians has grown from a 3:1 ratio in 2006 to 4.6:1 ratio in 2015.
Applications for IP rights filed by Canadians abroad grew by 3% in 2015 as compared to 2014, and contributes to growth of 33% from 2006 to 2015. The top three foreign filing destinations for Canadian IP applications are the United States, the European Union and China.
From 2014 to 2015, patent applications abroad by Canadians were stable while trademark applications increased by 8% and industrial design applications declined by 11%.
Summary By: Lauren Lodenquai
E-TIPS® ISSUE
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