Public consultations on regulatory amendments coming soon

In the coming weeks, we will be seeking feedback from interested businesses, individuals, groups and organizations, as part of our public consultations on the proposed regulatory amendments to the Industrial Design Regulations, the Trade-marks Regulations and the Patent Rules.

Consultations will occur from:

• June 19 to July 14 on the proposed Industrial Design Regulations
• June 19 to July 21 on propossed Trade-marks Regulations
• August 1 to September 8 on the proposed Patent Rules

In a world where intellectual property (IP) plays an increasingly significant role in the global success of businesses, it is important for Canada to establish a robust and modern IP regime harmonized with international standards to help Canadian businesses and innovators grow and be competitive in the global marketplace.

In that vein, we have been steadily making progress towards modernizing Canada's IP framework to join five international IP treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):

• the Hague Agreement
• the Madrid Protocol
• the Singapore Treaty
• the Nice Agreement
• the Patent Law Treaty

We are committed to supporting Canadian businesses and innovators, and helping them realize the full potential of their IP. Joining these IP treaties will provide them with streamlined processes, reduced administrative burden and user-friendly options to protect their intellectual property at home and abroad.

These public consultations offer an opportunity to interested businesses, individuals, groups and organizations to give feedback and ask questions on the proposed amendments to ensure the appropriate regulations are in place to support Canada's accession to these treaties.

More details on the consultations will be made available on our website starting June 19, 2017.