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.

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.

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.

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.  

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. 

With the ongoing pandemic, recent national and worldwide political developments and invasions, it is easy to become overwhelmed by incessant stream of bad news. Now more than ever it is important to also recognize our members, not only for your endurance and resilience over these past two years but for the dedication, passion and professionalism you have always brought to our association and to the IP profession. It is critical for IPIC to continue to celebrate our members and the important work you continue to accomplish amidst these challenges.  This is one of the reasons why IPIC continues to raise the profile of our profession and of our members through our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) related activities.