What happens to a trademark when COVID-19 prevents a trademark owner from using the trademark in the normal course of business?

By now you have probably encountered a plethora of articles that discuss how to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Experimenting with different aspects of your routine is one way to determine what does and doesn’t work for you.

By updated Practice Direction and Order dated April 4, 2020, the Federal Court has extended its Suspension Period to May 15, 2020, and detailed its strategy for keeping the Court running during the COVID-19 crisis.

Unprecedented. Unparallelled. Unheard-of. All of these adjectives, and more, have been used to describe the current situation the world is facing in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This is the first edition of IPIC's new member profile series on the UnscrIPted blog, which aims to feature a Canadian IP professional monthly and discuss their career accomplishments, interests and overall outlook on the IP profession. Sheema Khan is a patent agent with the intellectual property strategy division at Stratford Managers Corporation in Ottawa, Ontario.

For young lawyers, it can be difficult to build a career that is – or will become – meaningful to you. Developing relationships with mentors can be a valuable way to stay on a career path that is enjoyable and provides continued growth opportunities. IPIC's Young Practitioners Committee has compiled some tips on how to make the most of your mentorship relationships.

The Federal Court of Appeal has clarified the test for determining the availability of protective orders in an appeal of the Order of Justice Locke, as he then was, (the “Motion Judge”) in which a protective order jointly sought by the parties was refused on the basis that a protective order was not necessary, and ought not to be granted, where a protective agreement between litigants was a reasonably available alternative means of protecting the parties’ confidential information.

When developing strategies to address counterfeit goods, a great place to start is the border. Curbing the importation of counterfeits is vital in the fight to keep consumers safe from dangerous products. In 2015, Canada’s Border Services Agency (CBSA) introduced the Request for Assistance (RFA) program - read on to learn more.

Attending events and conferences on your own as a junior practitioner can feel daunting. Here are a few pointers that can help you prepare before you attend.

Richard Mar is an associate at DLA Piper and Chair of the IPIC Young Practitioner’s Committee. On the cusp of his 10th year of practice and his final term in the Committee, Richard discusses his practice and reflects on what he’s learned in this first stage of his career in IP law.

IPIC members are aware that IP rights have been hotly disputed in the recent Canada-US-Mexico trade negotiations. IPIC's IP Trade Policy Committee has been watching closely and provides this brief summary of what it believes are the most significant commitments of the parties as they now stand. 

Capturing and protecting innovative activity is crucial for any business looking to maximize the value of its intellectual property. Without the right people, processes, systems, and technology in place, IP management tends to be ad hoc and reactive.