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ARTICLE · 23 APRIL 2015

2015 Federal Budget Proposes Important Changes To Canada’s IP Laws

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The Federal Budget, tabled in the House of Commons on April 21, 2015, proposes significant changes to various aspects of Canada’s IP system.

CanadaIntellectual Property
David Schwartz
David Schwartz
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The Federal Budget, tabled in the House of Commons on April 21, 2015, proposes significant changes to various aspects of Canada's IP system.

The Government proposes to amend the Patent Act, the Trademarks Act and the Industrial Design Act, to provide clients with a statutory privilege for confidential communications with their IP agents. Measures of this type have been enacted in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden.  The proposed regulations for the Unified Patent Court to be established for the European Union include similar protection. This proposal in the Budget is a welcome initiative that would bring Canada's IP laws into line with international trends to provide legislated protection for client/agent communications in the IP field. 

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