It is no secret that a gap exists when it comes to protecting certain forms of Indigenous intellectual property (IP). While conventional IP tools are excellent in ensuring contemporary songwriters, inventors and brand owners keep control of what they make, these tools are less helpful when it comes to Indigenous traditional knowledge and cultural expression.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Committee is excited to bring UnscrIPted a series of articles related to the evolving digital landscape, highlighting non-fungible tokens (NFTs), new mobile and web-based applications, branding in the metaverse and artificial intelligence. NFTs: the Basics: An NFT can be described as a piece of digital content that is linked to the Ethereum blockchain. An NFT can be any digital asset, a unique way to represent art, collectibles, drawings, and anything else that requires provable ownership. NFTs can only have one owner at a time and are not interchangeable for other items as each NFT has unique properties. Simply put, no two NFTs are the same...

In June 2022, IPIC is kicking off a concentrated fundraising effort in support of IPIC’s Educational Foundation, the Patent & Trademark Institute Educational Foundation (PTIEF) – and you can help the Foundation receive an extra $20,000 to help with its objectives of supporting education and scholarship in the field of IP law. Your timing couldn't be better, because June 2022 is also the Great Canadian Giving Challenge!

Offered in partnership between the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) and McGill University School of Continuing Studies, this program offers a comprehensive suite of pragmatic courses to help practitioners in the legal, business and government sectors keep up to date on the latest in intellectual property. Taught by seasoned IP professionals, the program is made up of three specialized courses in the areas of patents, trademarks and copyright. Participants can sign up for individual modules, full courses, or enroll in the entire program to gain knowledge of a specific aspect of IP, acquire the insights needed to protect a portfolio of intellectual property, or advance their careers in the area of IP law.

IP Conciliation Proceeding is a tool available in Japan, aiming to resolve an IP dispute between parties in a speedy manner based on the proposition that parties have agreed to bring their dispute through IP Conciliation and have engaged in negotiation prior to the proceeding. IP Conciliation Proceeding is different from litigation and provisional disposition.

This June 2022, IPIC will be kicking off a concentrated fundraising effort in support of IPIC’s Educational Foundation. Here is everything you need to know about the Foundation and how you can get involved. Q. What is the IPIC Foundation? A. Formally known as the Patent and Trademark Institute Educational Foundation (PTIEF) the Foundation is a registered Canadian charity with the main objective of supporting education and scholarship in the field of IP law. The trustees of the Foundation are the executive members of IPIC’s Board.

The Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) is inviting you to participate in an upcoming Diversity Demographic and Inclusion Survey launching on June 6 – June 17, 2022. This survey is an integral part of IPIC’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) project, Building Back Through Innovation & Increasing Diversity in Canada’s IP Sector. The project includes EDI initiatives and programming to support the advancement of Canadian women as leaders and decision-makers in the intellectual property (IP) sector.

The promise of a new “free speech” era for Twitter has made some relieved, others peeved. With the news that Elon Musk intends to make the platform a “digital town hall,” both fans and critics anxiously await what form the new debate landscape will take. However the rules of engagement are drafted, the boundaries of what speech is allowed will have some legal limits. Hate speech and defamation are easy examples – but one often overlooked and underappreciated boundary is intellectual property.

The use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures to settle disputes between private parties outside the courts has a long tradition in legal systems around the world. While traditionally ADR options have not been widely used to settle intellectual property (IP) and related disputes, such procedures are becoming increasingly popular. The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, a provider of ADR options specialized in IP and technology disputes, can be an interesting option for IP professionals and their clients who are dealing with such disputes in Canada or internationally.

The Request for Assistance (RFA) program, administered by CBSA, is designed to assist with detection and detention of suspect counterfeit and pirated goods at the border, and empower rights holders to take action against importers of such goods. To enroll, rights holders must file an application with CBSA that identifies the copyrights, or registered trademarks or geographical indications of concern (which list can be updated as new rights arise). RFAs are valid for two years once approved and are renewable for subsequent successive two-year periods. The program has been in place since 2015. There is currently no government fee to apply.  

In January 2022, three diverse IP partners at Gowling WLG and IPIC members, Shahrzad Esmaili, Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel, and Selena Kim, launched a newsletter on LinkedIn called “Taking Up Space,” where they write about their careers, how they got to where they are, personal successes, setbacks, advice to their younger audience about “making it”, and what life is generally like while balancing careers in IP in a large firm while parenting young kids.

Marked annually on March 8th International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Participation is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements and rally for women's equality. This year's campaign theme is ‘Break the Bias,’ whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough, action is needed to level the playing field. In celebration of this day IPIC will highlight prominent women members who are just some of the many incredible women within the IP profession.