June 2021:
The health and safety of our members, staff, volunteers, and speakers is of the utmost importance to IPIC. In light of the ongoing uncertainties surrounding the pandemic and travel and group size restrictions that may be imposed on delegates travelling to Atlantic Canada or returning to other provinces following the event, we have opted to proceed with a virtual conference format again this year. IPIC2021 Virtual – Innovation and IP: Keys to Unlocking Economic Renewal – will take place virtually October 14 to 15, 2021. Click here for more information.
May 2021:
Though the past year has been anything but normal, our commitment to a high-level of service for our members remains the same. We continue to follow the advice of public health officials and all our regular in-person programming, such as the Patent Agent Training Course and the IPIC/McGill Summer Courses, has been adapted to a virtual format. Since last spring, we also held a variety of webinars related to COVID-19 and IP Practice which can be found on-demand here.
Although the future of the pandemic is still somewhat unknown and hosting in-person events later in 2021 remains uncertain, IPIC and the Conference Committee are well into the planning of IPIC2021. While the format of this year's conference is still up in the air, what is known is IPIC2021 will take place October 13 to 15, 2021. Click here to learn more.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding IPIC or IP practice at this time, do not hesitate to reach out to any member of our team and we will be glad to assist you.
March 2020:
During these difficult times, IPIC continues to work on getting information to members and the public regarding the impact of the COVID-19 situation on the activities of the Canadian profession and on agency practice in Canada.
At the same time, IPIC is committed to having our staff and volunteers follow the advice of public health officials, at all times. For that reason, IPIC has closed our physical office and have setup work from home arrangements for all staff. While we feel that we are now back to being 100% operational, in light of the circumstances our workload has increased and therefore will do our best to ensure we continue to provide the support and information our members need during this global pandemic in a timely fashion.
IPIC will continue to provide members and the public with access to education and continuing professional development through our virtual events, webinars, courses, and other programs and services that do not require an in-person component. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at your convenience.
We encourage you all to bookmark and regularly visit this current page ipic.ca/covid-19 for the latest updates and resources to stay informed. IPIC will be posting information on international and domestic office operational announcements, as well as frequently asked questions and answers related to the impacts of those operational announcements. The answers we post will be developed in coordination with the senior leadership of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, and the relevant IPIC committee experts.
*Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - The Canadian Federal Government tabled (March 24th, 2020) and passed legislation (Bill C-13) An Act respecting certain measures in response to COVID-19. The legislation in Part 12 makes amendments to Section 19 of the Patent Act, to allow the ease of government use of patented inventions for the purposes of dealing with the COVID-19 public health emergency.
CIPO Announcements
ipic.ca/covid-19/cipo-deadline-extension
International Updates
ipic.ca/covid-19/international-updates
Patent Practice FAQ
Trademark Practice FAQ
ipic.ca/covid-19/trademark-faq