IPIC Committee Profile: Editorial Board of the CIPR

IPIC’s monthly committee profiles showcase the volunteer work that our talented IPIC members are doing to grow the IP profession and share valuable knowledge with their peers across the country. This month, we sat down with Béatrice Ngatcha, the Editor of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review, to learn more about what the Editorial Board of IPIC’s CIPR committee has been up to this year.

 IPIC: What is the committee’s mandate?

BN: The committee constitutes the Editorial Board of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review, a peer-reviewed journal focused on Canadian IP. Its members are all experienced IP professionals. The Board conducts a thorough review of each article submitted to the CIPR, making sure the article meets the required standards for publication.  As the CIPR is a double-blind peer review journal, interactions between authors and reviewers during the review process proceed accordingly. 

IPIC: What has the committee been able to accomplish over the past year?

BN: Since the last volume was published, the committee has received 21 articles, of which 5 have been ultimately accepted for publication. CIPR volume 35 comprising these articles is currently being printed, and each IPIC member will be receiving a copy within the upcoming month. In the meantime, the volume 35 articles are available online for free on the IPIC website.

IPIC: How does this committee’s work affect the Canadian IP profession as a whole?

BN: Through the committee’s work, articles covering various areas of intellectual property and of the highest quality are brought to the Canadian IP profession. These articles can be used as reference material in cases, to guide IP professionals’ development and to expand industry knowledge in general.

IPIC: How does the committee’s work advance the mission and vision of IPIC?

BN: The committee’s work contributes to maintain the high level of knowledge and training that Canadian IP professionals possess, which makes them trusted IP advisors in helping organisations understand and leverage the value of IP.

IPIC: What are some key milestones that the committee has been able to achieve?

BN: Taking the CIPR from a paper journal just a few years ago to a searchable digital journal was a key milestone that the committee was able to achieve. The online version is now available to all readers free of charge, not only IPIC’s members. This allows for a much wider audience and greater exposure for the articles’ authors.

IPIC: Which changes do you hope to see in the profession from the lens of this committee?

BN: We would like to see an increased number of Canadian IP professionals coming forward to share their knowledge and showcase their experience through articles, in order to create a more vibrant community. There is an incredible amount of diversity in the work that IP professionals do and the CIPR is the ideal platform through which to highlight it.

 Special thanks to the hard work of the Editorial Board of the CIPR’s members this year, including:

• Ann Carlsen
• Jeilah Chan
• Johanna Coutts
• Meghan Dillon
• Neil Fineberg
• Robert Hendry
• Mala Joshi
• Athar K. Malik
• Kelly McLellan
• Beverley Moore
• Marcel Naud
• Béatrice Ngatcha
• James Plotkin
• Olivier Provost-Cao
• Tamara Ramsey
• Jennifer Sander
• Andrew Skodyn
• Abigail Smith
• Margaret Ann Wilkinson
• Marian Wolanski
• Kevin Zive