CIPO Business Strategy 2012-2017 (PDF: 5.8 MB; 27 pages)
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Part I
Introduction
About CIPO
CIPO, a Special Operating Agency of Industry Canada, is responsible for administering Canada's system of IP rights: patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies.
Our primary customers are innovators, inventors, and the Canadian business community. We also work closely with the IP agent community who act as intermediaries in representing many of our customers.
CIPO's mandate is to deliver high quality and timely IP products and services to customers, and to increase awareness, knowledge and effective use of IP by Canadians. This mandate, along with the directions outlined in this strategy, contributes to the strategic outcomes identified by Industry Canada and the government, including "a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace."
CIPO plays a key role in supporting economic growth and innovation in four critical areas:
- Timely issuing of IP rights permits innovators to more quickly develop, monetize and commercialize their ideas, allowing them to get to market faster.
- Ensuring high quality and clearly scoped IP rights supports business by increasing certainty in the market.
- Technical and business information contained in IP rights supports innovation by others.
- Alignment with international IP administrative systems and treaties helps Canadian businesses compete globally.
CIPO also actively participates in developing and implementing government policies, practices and standards that enable businesses all across our country to succeed. This includes elements involving the reduction of red tape, promoting access to information, ensuring a transparent and predictable regulatory system, as well as providing an up-to-date legislative and regulatory framework for business.
Our New Business Strategy
This business strategy has taken account of the current challenges and opportunities facing innovators and CIPO, and sets in motion strategic directions for CIPO to more directly support innovators and the innovation cycle in Canada.
This business strategy will guide our decision-making and commitments over the next five years. While the heart of this strategy is supporting innovation and business success, it is also a roadmap that will assist us in reviewing our performance and outcomes, assessing our strategic directions, and achieving the highest level of performance.
We know that unanticipated challenges and opportunities will continue to arise: economies fluctuate, technologies change, and new business models emerge. For that reason, the success of our business strategy will depend on our ability to manage, assess, adjust, and carry on. The ongoing process of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Strategy will be a key part of CIPO's annual business planning process.